Fullmetal Magic
by V.Blackthorne
Summary: When he finds himself transported into a new world, will Edward be able to find a way to return? Or will the Fullmetal Alchemist have to forget his past life; his friends, his family, and be content with the world he has? Order of the Phoenix timeline.
1. All it takes

Edward festered an annoyance for the colonel as he sneaked through the bushes. And this time, Al wasn't there to calm him down. Which annoyed Ed even more.

Mustang had received reports of a suspicious group disappearing late at night into the forests surrounding East City. Disappeared was the right word to use, as no traces of them could be found when the initial team was sent out to investigate; no alchemy circles, traces of footprints, nothing.

And so Mustang suggested (read: ordered) Edward to tail the group at night and find out what they were up to. Of course Ed refused initially, with intention to focus more on the Homunculus threat at hand. _People don't just disappear like ghosts_ , Mustang had said. _And you're the only person we have on hand small enough to avoid attention._

Following an rage-filled outburst, held back by Al, came understanding. Disappearing acts without alchemy circles could mean the possibility of a fake Philosopher's Stone.

 _Or maybe a real one_ , the look in Mustang's eyes had said.

Ed was annoyed that Al couldn't come along. A hulking set of armor makes for a bad stealth companion, they reasoned. But still.

 _"Don't worry, brother. It's just slightly outside of East City," Al said._

 _"I know, but every time I leave you alone you get into trouble..." replied Ed._

 _"Then I'll just wait in the library until you get back!" the suit cheerfully said._

 _After a moment of consideration, Ed nodded in approval. "Alright, but no cats this time!"_

 _The armor Al was possessing slacked, obviously disappointed. Ed quickly tapped on Al's chest, saying, "But hey, we have until nighttime." A grin cross his face. "Wanna practice? I've been working on some moves!"_

Ed rubbed the bruise on his chest gingerly. So had Al. He was never able to beat his brother in a duel, which he wasn't particularly happy with, but was proud of Al all the same.

Coming to a stop, he carefully examined his surroundings before bringing his hands together and placing them on the ground. In a dim flash of blue light, Edward created a miniature dirt version of Al on the ground. Still nothing, he silently cursed, covering the dirt armor with leaves.

The trail of Als were left as a path for future searches, but the short period of time as the materials were deconstructed allowed Ed to sense for secret tunnels underground.

As Edward progressed further into the forest, making and hiding mini-Als on the way, he came across something caught onto a bush. It's a piece of cloth... Ed identified as he released the cloth from its thorny cage. It was black, probably torn from whatever or whoever was passing through, and Ed felt like he was staring into the abyss when examining it.

Ed was so enthralled in the piece of cloth that he didn't notice the dark figure behind him.

* * *

 _"Brother?" Alphonse called._

 _"Al?" Edward replied in disbelief. Al, not the armor, but Alphonse was standing there in front of him._

 _"Brother?" Al echoed again, tilting his head._

 _Edward sprinting forward, embracing Al in a tight hug. "I-I can't believe it, Al! You're safe!"_

 _"No, I'm not, brother..."_

 _"W-what are you saying?" Ed released his hug and grabbed Al by the shoulders, voice trembling. "You're fine!"_

 _"No..." Al whispered. From the darkness around them shot out thin hands of darkness, latching onto him. Tears started to well in Al's angry eyes. "It's your fault."_

 _"N-no..." Ed muttered, holding on to Al as tightly as possible. The hands started pulling, taking bits and pieces of Al as Ed watched._

 _"You did this!" Alphonse screamed, over and over as he crumbled into the darkness. Edward collapsed onto his knees, hands trembling. He lost Al. Again. It was all his fault..._

 _"Can't find your way, Mr Alchemist?" A voice taunted from behind. Ed turned his head, seeing the white figure of Truth's featureless face, mouth excluded, grinning at him sadistically._

 _"Y-You..." Ed stuttered, the hollowness in him filling with rage. "Give him back!" he screamed as he lunged at Truth._

 _The same black hands coiled around Ed, restraining his moves. "No can do," Truth giggled as Ed flailed against his bindings. "See, Mr Alchemist, there's nothing you can give me that is on par with your brother," Truth explained, waggling a finger. "No equivalent exchange, so to speak."_

 _As Edward struggled against the hands, and also to come up with an answer, Truth looked up into the darkness. "Oops, it seems like time's up." He leaned in close to Ed's face, grinning once more. "See you on the other side." Ed felt the hands pulling him away, far away from Truth, as he faded back into the black abyss._

 _"Come back soon, Edward-kun."_

* * *

The first thing Edward Elric was aware of was the cold hard ground. The second thing he was aware of was how hard it was to breathe. He tried to inhale, but the air refused to enter his lungs. Edward could faintly hear a muttering somewhere around him. A jolt shot through his body, and before he knew it, he was on his hands and knees, coughing and heaving, before taking a deep, long awaited breath. A quick survey informed him that the room was plain and square-ish, with most of the room shrouded in shadow.

"Ah, our guest is finally awake," a deep voice announced. He spoke with an accent Edward didn't recognize, but the tone was all to familiar to him. A tone of power. Edward shakily got onto his feet, lightheaded, trying to stop the world from spinning. The voice made a sound of mock amazement. "I'm surprised you can stand so soon."

"Shove it.." Edward growled between coughs and pants. He mentally berated himself, remembering how he got here. How could I so damned careless... He was the Fullmetal Alchemist, and yet some yahoos got the better of him, just because of some cloth?

"Now, now..." The voice reprimanded, like a teacher scolding a misbehaving preschool kid. "Is there any way to talk to your master?"

That just infuriated Edward. "Go fuck yourself." His vision stabilized enough to locate the bastard talking to him. The taunter was dressed in a long, black, flowing robe that covered most of his body. The long sleeves hid the man's hands, and the hood covered most of his head. A white mask with small slits for the eyes and holes for the man to breathe covered his otherwise exposed face.

The eyes behind the mask narrowed, and glanced off either side of Edward. Instantly, pain overwhelmed all of his senses, but he was unable to writhe; limbs locked by an unknown force. Unable to scream; the noises stuck in his throat. Unable to think; all his nerves felt like exploding.

When Ed finally could anything instead of suffer, he dropped to his knees again, limbs trembling from the aftereffects. "W-w-what the hell..." he managed to gasp. That sensation was like the feeling of having his automail reattached to his body, but amplified. He shot a hateful look towards the robed figure, the muscles in his body still convulsing. "What d-did you do?"

Ed could feel the smirk behind the mask. "Punishing a disobedient servant." The figure knelt down in front of Ed, and the alchemist could see the obsidian eyes full of confidence. "Do you need another lesson?"

Pain and humiliation turned to determination. "Class is over, you son of a bitch!" Edward clapped his hands together, channeling the energy through his body. Before Black-Eyes could react, Ed slammed his hands onto the stone floor, picturing a fist smashing into the bastard's mask.

However, none of that happened. Markings previously invisible flared with blue energy from Ed's attempted transmutation. Black-Eyes yelled something, and multiple black robed men appeared from the darkness, pointing sticks aggressively at Edward.

The runes formed a circle, with only Edward in it, but it wasn't any transmutation circle Edward was familiar with. Standing in the middle of an unknown circle was a terrible idea, and Ed rushed Black-Eyes. Two birds with one stone.

Which is why Edward was surprised when he crashed right into the air, and a force threw him back into the middle of the circle. "What the hell is this?!" He cried out. Black-Eyes seemed to be frantically ordering his lackeys around, but Ed couldn't hear anything, if he was speaking at all.

One of the robed minions reached out with a hand to test the boundaries of the circle. Lightning flashed throughout the room and he retracted his arm, now a bleeding stump. The circle had disintegrated his hand.

Edward look on in shock. He could have been the one to vanish. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he examined the circle for clues on escaping. The circle had only four points, and symbols that even he didn't recognize. It was a terrible butchering of the art of alchemy, and Edward got legitimately upset. The symbols he did recognize were four triangles at each point of the circle; the four elements.

Black-Eyes stared at Edward, and raised a stick at his direction. A bolt of green energy shot out of the stick and dissipated as it hit the boundary of the circle. As it did, the circle's light morphed from blue to green, and Ed felt a tugging sensation in the pit of his stomach. He felt his ears popped as the air pressure dropped dramatically.

The world spun and whirled as the edges of his vision started fading into black. " _Not again_ " was the last thing that went through the Fullmetal Alchemist's mind.


	2. The New World

"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione asked for the umpteenth time, pacing around the bedroom. It's been three days since Harry chased the Dementors away and was suspended from Hogwarts, not to mention the Ministry hearing of his trial. The bushy haired wizard was worried sick, thinking of the many situations Harry could be in and the emotions he could be feeling.

"He'll be fine," Ron assured, though it seemed like he was trying to convince himself as well. "Harry knows how to take care of himself," he said as he threw a rubber ball at the wall, catching it on the rebound.

"But you know how Harry is, he'll go crazy; not knowing anything, not able to do anything. Won't you?"

"Yeah, but..." Ron sheepishly answered.

Hermione's expression fell. "Do you think he's going to be mad at us?"

Ron returned to his ball-throwing monotony. "Nah. If anything he's gonna be mad at Dumbledore, for keeping us silent." He paused. "Right?"

That did nothing to sate Hermione's worry. It was temporarily suspended as a loud crashing came from downstairs. Both teens gave each other a confused look, before Hermione decided that she would check it out, opening the door. Ron followed, the rubber ball absentmindedly clutched in his right hand.

Molly and Sirius were both slowly descending the stairs, wands drawn. Upon seeing Hermione, Sirius put a finger to his lips, before taking the lead down, with Molly following close behind. The two teens followed the adults, curious at what or who made the noise.

The hallways were clear, and the front door remained tightly shut, so it seemed that someone Apparated into the house. Hearing a disturbing noise coming from the kitchen, the group slowly advanced.

The kitchen was a mess. The dining table, most prominently, had been smashed as was lying crumpled on the ground, splinters of wood spread throughout. Silverware and china had been swept off the top of the low cabinets. A figure, dressed in a long red cloak and black pants, was hunched over the kitchen sink. Hermione couldn't tell for sure, but from the sounds that was coming from that direction, it sounded like the intruder was hurling up the contents of his last meal.

"Who're you?!" Sirius called out, wand pointed at the figure. It turned around, and Hermione was shocked to see a boy, who could barely be over 12, with long golden hair and the brightest golden eyes staring weakly at the group.

"It's just... a boy?" Molly gasped, wand lowering. She started to move forward, but Sirius held her back.

"Don't! He's dangerous!" Sirius barked, to the shock of the three of them. His wand remained at the ready.

The boy's eyes darted around, scanning the group. As his eyes landed on the wands in Molly and Sirius' hands, they hardened. Sirius noticed as well, and launched a Stupefy at the kid.

The boy ducked with remarkable speed at the same time, flipping up a large broken piece of table and took cover. The wizards ducked back into the hallway, with Sirius firing spell after spell.

"What are you doing, Sirius?!" Molly demanded as he continued to pressure the unknown kid.

"That's not one of us!" he growled in between volleys of spells.

"But he's just a kid!" Molly argued.

"He can't be just a kid if he got in here!" As Sirius stepped out to take another shot, a flash of blue light came from behind the makeshift cover. The kid leaped over the wood, throwing his right arm outwards in the process. Sirius ducked back just in time to see the wall in the hallway impaled with three silver daggers.

As Sirius spun into the kitchen to deliver another volley of spells, they were all surprised to see him being pulled in by the boy by the arm and, in an instant later, pinned to the ground by the intruder, Sirius's wand arm held down by the boy's knee. "Pdor me!" the boy growled, staring at Molly, fist raised threateningly over Sirius's head.

Hermione had unknowingly clutched onto Ron's arm, but the red headed kid didn't seem to notice. The boy had moved with such speed and overpowered a grown man with such ease, without even using magic. The tension in the room thickened as Molly stared back at the boy, not sure what he just said.

"If you're gonna kill me, then just do it!" Sirius yelled.

The boy glanced questioningly at Sirius, but his eyes never relaxed. "Hust pu!" he growled, before turning his attention to Molly. "I dasi, pdor ti!" he barked again, staring at the wand in Molly's hand.

Finally getting the message the boy was trying to get across, Molly slowly put her wand onto the ground. "What are you doing, Mum?" Ron hissed. Hermione noticed her grip on Ron's arm, and quickly let go with a slight blush. Ron didn't notice. Molly remained silent, but continued to stare intently at the boy.

"Oyu!" the boy pointed at Hermione. "Hewer ma I?"

Hermione gave him a puzzled look. "I-I'm sorry, I can't understand you."

The boy gave her an equally puzzled look. "Thwa gualnuge si hatt?" He paused, brows furrowed. "Hewer ma I?" he repeated, slowly, though Hermione noted a subtle change in tone. If he was really out to kill them, Sirius would have been done in by now.

Apparently Molly noticed it too, as she slowly approached, hands raised. "Are you lost, dear?"

The boy didn't take too well to that, as his knee applied further pressure on Sirius, causing him to grunt in pain. "Oyu tsya ckab!" Molly stepped back quickly.

Hermione took a step forward, hands raised as well. The boy kept an eye on her, but didn't otherwise react. She took another. No reaction. Ron whispered harshly, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?" To which she just glared briefly at him. The boy seemed to not be as wary of her as he was Molly.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked as she slowly made her way towards the kid and Sirius.

"Don't, stay back!" Sirius warned, but was met with slightly more pressure on his arm.

"No, it's all right," Hermione said. She and the boy locked eyes. "What's your name?" she asked, making sure to pronounce every syllable slowly.

A wave of emotions flashed across his face. Confusion, desperation, frustration. "I odnt sernatddun oyu!" he finally growled in anger.

She knelt down beside him, with whispers of warnings coming from the Weasleys behind her, wracking her brain for a way to communicate between two languages. "Hermione," she said slowly as she pointed at herself. Names should be universal, she thought, and a decent way to start.

"Her...mio...nee?" the boy repeated, letting the unfamiliar syllables roll in his mouth.

"Yes," she said as she nodded. "Hermione." Finally, this was getting somewhere. "You?" She pointed at the boy, hoping the questioning look on her face could get the point across.

He looked at her, then suspiciously looked at the other wizards nearby. He finally looked back at her. "Ed...ward," he spoke slowly as well.

"Edward?" Hermione repeated, to the satisfaction of the boy. She gingerly pointed the pinned wizard. "Sirius." She hoped this introduction after her own would suggest that they were friends; that they were harmless.

"Si...ri...us..." Edward repeated, glaring at the wizard he pinned down. "Htis strabda?" Sirius glared back. If looks could kill, they'd both be dead.

Hermione could hear some venom in his voice. "No, no, no!" she shook her head and wove her arms, trying to calm him down from whatever he just said. He glanced back at her. "We don't want to harm you," she said in the friendliest voice possible.

Edward glanced at everyone again. They all had a look of concern in their eyes, except for Sirius, of course. His eyes softened just a little. "Odnt ytr hnaytgni unynf," he said, a hint of suspicion in his voice. Hermione took that as a warning. Edward got off Sirius and retreated a few meters. His posture remained alert.

Molly and Ron moved forward to help Sirius up, the latter massaged his aching arm. "Molly," Hermione pointed at the older woman, then at the younger Weasley. "Ron."

"Mo..lly... Ron," Edward repeated. He seemed pleased with Ron's name, probably because it was easy for him to pronounce and remember.

"We should call the Order," Sirius suggested, nursing his bruised arm. "They'll know what to do with him."

"No, don't," Hermione warned, as Edward looked on, trying to make heads or tails out of their words. "The last thing we want is for him to be more frightened." She glanced at the golden-haired boy, pitying him. "He's obviously lost, and doesn't speak English. What do you think he's going to do when a group of armed wizards and witches barge in yelling at him in a language he doesn't understand?"

"You're mental, 'Mione!" Ron argued. "Did you see what he could do?" Ron pointed at the daggers in the wall. "He's dangerous! I say we knock him out and tie him up."

"Ronald!" Molly scolded, and her son flinched. "I agree with Hermione. We should make him feel comfortable instead of bringing any more people he might be threatened by." Her motherly instincts were showing, even though Edward seemed ready to harm them moments ago. "Ron, take Sirius upstairs and look after him."

"Mom, I'm not leaving you with that lunatic!"

"Now, Ron," she ordered, and her son had to comply. Sirius too, lest they suffer the full wrath of Molly Weasley. Now the two females turned their attention to Edward. He seemed more relaxed now that Sirius and Ron were out of sight.

"Umm..." Hermione began as she looked around for something Edward could sit on, but everything was in pieces. Edward tried to follow her gaze, then seemed to realize the damage around him.

"Let me get my wand," Molly announced, but Hermione stopped her.

Edward was gathering the pieces of wood on the ground, moving all of it into a neat pile in the middle of the room. Not one splinter was left out. "Tspe ckab," he said, then continued to stare at them. Hermione and Molly looked at each other, before looking back. Edward sighed, then made a pushing motion with his hands.

"I think he wants us to move back," Hermione guessed. The both of them took a few steps back, and Edward rolled his eyes, as if saying 'Finally'. He clapped his hands, and the sound rang through the house. A flash of blue lightning erupted from the wood pile as Edward placed both his hands on it. Wood seemed to shift and grow from the pile, and once everything settled, the wood pile was no more. Instead, the table was back where it once was, perfectly repaired.

The two witches looked on in shock and amazement. Wandless magic! He must be be an amazing wizard where he's from, Hermione thought. Edward gathering the broken silver into smaller piles, and repeated the process. One clap, one item was repaired. He continued until the kitchen was back the way it was.

Grabbing the daggers, Edward did his ritual one final time, and they morphed into a silver platter, which he promptly replaced on the cabinet. Done with his repairs, he looked at the two women with a grin on his face, chest puffed out. He was obviously proud.

Molly recovered from her shock faster. "How did you do that? Without a wand, too?" Edward look on in confusion. "Right, you can't understand me." She pointed at the table and the dishes, then made a small upwards motion with both her hands, palm facing up.

Edward looked confused, but it wasn't the kind he was showing before. "Thwa od oyu emna ohw? Hatts alchemy," he said matter-of-factly.

"Alchemy?" Hermione repeated. One word that is the same between both languages? Pertaining to magic, no less.

Edward nodded. "Ohw od oyu tno nokw thwa oyur isugn?" he asked, then realized they can't understand him. "Al-che-my," he repeated slowly.

Molly looked at her. "You think...?" The both of them seemed to be on the same page. "But alchemy can't..."

"Please wait here, Mrs Weasley," she said before running up to her and Ron's room. Ron wasn't there, probably chatting with Sirius in the latter's own room. She dug for her Alchemist's Cookbook by Paraceleus textbook (she liked her light reading) and scanned the first few sentences until she found a paragraph using the word 'alchemy' specifically. With the sentence in mind, she rushed back down the stairs. Nothing much had change, except that Edward was closely examining Molly's wand, with her permission, it seemed.

Hermione showed the book to Edward, and pointed at the specific paragraph. "Alchemy?" Maybe she could confirm whether the word alchemy was written the same in his language.

His eyes went wide in shock. Grabbing the book, his eyes darted from sentence to sentence, before turning the page and continued to examine the words.

"Edward?" she asked, intimidated by the intense focus Edward seemed to have. He continue, as if he didn't hear her.

Molly cleared her throat in the strict, motherly way only she could. "Edward? What's wrong?" The boy looked up in annoyance, as if forgetting they were there. His eyes seemed to light up and a genuine smile broke onto his face, and he reached into a pocket, pulling out a small, black notebook. He flipped to a certain page, and showed it to the both of them.

The page describe the art of alchemy, of transmutations, and the witches look at each other, surprised elation on their faces.

It was in English.

* * *

It's been one hell of a ride for Edward. After accidentally activating the circle, it felt like he spun around for ages in space. When he came to, it was on the floor of a large kitchen, on the splinters of a broken table. He tried to stand up too quickly, and felt the need to upchuck the contents of his stomach.

Then, strangers appeared in the doorway, brandishing the same sticks that his captors did earlier. Instinctively, he went into combat mode, and managed to subdue the long haired man firing at him with those sticks. The woman held a stick as well, and he yelled at her.

It was then he discovered they didn't speak the same language, and through some tough communication, the bushy haired young girl convinced him that they weren't going to hurt him. The man who attacked him and a taller red-headed boy left, leaving the females with him. He quickly repaired the damage he did on entry, and the two, Hermione and Molly as they introduced earlier, looked shocked, as if they haven't heard of alchemy. In his frustration at their ignorance, he tried to call them out on not knowing what they were using, but then quickly remembered their language barrier.

Turns out, they did know about alchemy, as the girl left and quickly returned with a book on alchemy and its art. The kicker was that it was written in Amestrian, and Ed quickly deduced that, even though the dialect was different, they were speaking some form of Amestrian too.

And that brought him to his current predicament. Writing to communicate.

The woman named Molly said something to Hermione and left, but not before giving Edward a gentle pat on the head. He growled. She better not be thinking I'm a cute kid.

That left Ed and Hermione. The first thing she asked him through writing, with an odd feather, is _Who are you?_

The feather took some adjustment to his usual scribbling style, but he managed to answer with _Edward Elric._

 _Where did you come from?_

 _East City._ Hermione looked confused. _Amestris_ , he added.

 _Never heard of it._ Never heard of it? Edward couldn't believe her ignorance. Or stupidity.

But it was time to ask the questions. _Where am I?_

 _Islington Borough. London._

London? He looked her in the eyes, and shrugged, shaking his head. She didn't looked as shocked as he did. _What's with the sticks?_

Now it was Hermione's turn to look utterly confused. Did he look that dumb? _They're wands._

 _Wands? What are those?_

Hermione paused after reading Ed's question. She looked deep in thought, before writing, _Aren't you a wizard?_ Reading that, Edward couldn't help but laugh heartily. _What's so funny?_ Hermione had added after seeing his hysterical outburst.

 _I'm an alchemist. There are no such thing as 'wizards'_.

Now Hermione looked appalled. _If you're not a wizard, how did you perform that magic?_

 _Magic doesn't exist, idiot. That was alchemy._

An insulted look crossed her face. _Magic does exist! And alchemy can't do that!_ Edward burst out in laughter again. These idiots in London, wherever that is, are either ignorant or plain idiotic. He wiped tears from his eyes, as Hermione looked at him, dead serious.

 _Fine, watch._ This is alchemy, not magic. As soon as Hermione read it, he clapped his hands and placed it on the table. The wood morphed as he created a small statue of Al on the table, as the girl look on shocked. Another clap, and the table was restored back to its original state.

Hermione scribbled furiously on the piece of paper they've been using as communication. _Can every wizard where you're from do that?_ Now Ed was getting slightly annoyed.

 _ALCHEMISTS. And no, I'm a special case. Studied hard._ Ed added that last part as an afterthought, hoping she doesn't pry further.

 _Do all 'alchemists' speak your language? What is it?_ Fortunately for Ed, she didn't.

 _Amestrian._

Looks of confusion were common in this exchange. _But you write in English._

 _No, this is Amestrian._

Hermione sighed. _Well, here we call it English._

And that's what you speak? Hermione nodded her response to Ed's question. If everyone here's speaking this English, then it'd be best for him to learn, at least simply. It would make finding his way home from here a lot easier.

Teach me. The girl had a shocked look. I'm a fast learner. Ed wrote, before patting himself on the chest. Hermione gave him a quizzical look, before nodding. Ed smiled, pleased.

* * *

The first hour was hellishly boring. Hermione had written out the alphabet and had him pronounce, in English, each letter repeatedly until she was sure he had gotten the hang of it. Then she put two letters together and apparently some combinations made different noises, like a 'Ph' was pronounced like an 'F' in a word.

Then it went on to single words. Simple stuff like 'chair' or 'table', and some easy words from the Alchemist's Cookbook. Once she felt like she'd explained the basic rules of the English language she moved on to grammar and full sentences. That's when it got interesting. Incredibly quickly, over the course of a few hours, Ed was able to form complete sentences and hold a simple conversation, albeit robot-like, as Hermione described.

Once or twice, the red-headed kid, Ron, had come down to check on them, though Ed was sure he was more concerned for the girl, but she assured him she was fine.

After a while, Hermione said that it was enough for the day. She was clearly impressed at the rate he was learning, and why shouldn't she be? He was the Fullmetal Alchemist!

As she packed her books and weird pen feather up, Ed spoke. "Thanks, Hermione."

She glanced at him, not expected the gratitude. "N-no problem, Ed,"

Before she could leave, though, Edward had one more request. "Can I have a picture of the world?"

Hermione processed the request, then it clicked. "Oh, a map! Yeah, sure. Wait here." She returned quickly with a large piece of paper, with a massive painting on it. "Looking for your home?"

"Mmhmm," Edward nodded, before spreading the map flat on the table and started scanning. The more he scanned, however, the more panic he looked. "It is not here!"

"What?" Hermione asked. "What's not there?"

"My home! Amestris! It is not on here!" Edward exclaimed.

"How's that possible?" Hermione asked.

"I do not know, but..." Edward trailed off. The circle! He took out his notebook and redrew the circle as best he could remember, but it was incomplete. The four points were there, the symbol for the four elements, and some symbols he didn't recognize, but there were more, he was sure of it.

"What's that?" the girl came closer, gesturing at the drawing he just made.

"The circle... Alchemical circle," he clarified. "I was in a room, then this thing lighted up-"

"Lit up," she corrected.

"Yeah, that. Then I ended up here. But some things are missing, and I can't remember!" Ed scratched his head in frustration. It couldn't be... could it? "Do you have more books on alchemy?"

"No..." she regretfully shook her head.

"Shit!" Ed cursed in Amestrian. She hadn't gotten around to teaching him the foul words. "Can I have that?" he asked in English, pointing at the book.

"S-sure," Hermione handed him the book, and recoiled at the force he snatched it from her with. Wasting no time, Edward sat down, furiously flipping through the pages, making notes in his own notebook.

Hermione left with a hasty 'goodbye', but Edward was too engrossed and focus to notice anything else.

She ran into Molly and Sirius on the way upstairs. "How's the runt?" Sirius asked. His arm seemed to be much better after a short rest. Edward didn't damage it too badly.

"He says he's not from this world," Hermione explained, before launching into a recap as quick as she could, even showing them the written exchange they had before he started learning English.

"How's that possible?" Molly asked.

"I don't know," Hermione replied. She was still wrapping her head around the concept of multiple worlds.

"That would explain the not believing in magic..." Sirius explained. "I think its time we informed the Order."

Molly and Hermione looked apprehensive. Sirius noticed, then sighed. "Fine, but at least Dumbledore has to know." That was better received by the two of them.

* * *

The book looked promising at first, but the more he read the more it referenced magic, something that doesn't exist. In no way did the book explain or show any symbols that would help him decipher the Four-Point Circle, as he had taken to calling it. The parts that did make sense were already common knowledge to Edward. The most infuriating thing, however, was that the book did not mention anything about Equivalent Exchange. The foundation of alchemy was never mentioned in a book about alchemy. It spoke as if magic ignored equivalent exchange entirely.

At a certain point, Edward came to the conclusion that maybe the magic the book spoke of was the equivalent exchange. Maybe the book was written in code. And so he started trying to decipher the studies of alchemy the book so described.

He was halfway through the book, and each mention of magic was, in fact, not equivalent exchange, no matter how Edward tried to decipher. "Damn it!" Edward cursed again. He couldn't afford to not figure out this puzzle. Al was waiting back home for him, God dammit. He couldn't lose Al, not again. He wouldn't lose Al. Redoubling his efforts, with his motivation in mind, he took a crack at the next chapter of the book.

He didn't even notice the two elderly folk, escorted by Hermione, enter the room. "Edward?" she called. Promptly ignored, as usual.

She was about to try again, but the elderly man stopped her. "It's quite alright, Miss Granger. Minerva and I will take it from here."

She nodded and quickly took her leave. The old man and woman walked up to Edward. "Excuse me, Mr Elric."

The unfamiliar voice caught his attention. Edward looked up, annoyed and frustrated. "What? Who're you?"

The old man bowed slightly. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. This," he nodded to the woman beside him, "is Minerva McGonagall. We have been informed of your... unique situation."

Ed made a noise of disdain. "So?"

McGonagall looked outraged at his lack of manners, but Dumbledore's expression remained friendly and smiling. "We would like to offer our assistance to you in your endeavors."

Ed looked skeptical. "What do you want?" He looked unhappy with the way the words came out, then he started again. "I mean, why do you want to help me? What are you looking for?"

"We just sympathized with one so young as yourself," Minerva explained.

"I'm fifteen!" Edward huffed. "Not young anymore, so you take take your sympathy and shove it!"

Minerva looked like she was about to reprimand him terribly, but Dumbledore held up a hand, stopping her. "We would just like to assist you in getting to your home world as quickly as possible."

Edward brought back his skepticism. "What do you want in return?"

The corner of Dumbledore's eyes crinkled, and there was a twinkle of understanding in his eyes. "You call your art alchemy, do you not?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Ed couldn't see where this is going.

"Well, it just so happens that I am a practicing alchemist, myself," Dumbledore announced, as he smiled at the young Edward.

Ed scoffed. "Yeah, and so does the dtioi who wrote this book," he flicked his hands towards the direction of the Alchemist's Cookbook, lapsing briefly into Amestrian. "Your books do not even mention the concept of-"

"Equivalent Exchange?" Dumbledore interjected, a knowing smile on his lips.

Edward looked positively shocked. "You heard of it?!"

"Yes, well, my old friend Nicolas Flamel never could stop talking about it when I first met him," Dumbledore explained. Minerva watched as the two conversed. Not even she had heard of this equivalent exchange, but the boy is discussing it as thought it was common knowledge.

"Flamel!" Edward's eyes and smile grew wider. "I have heard of that name, in Amestris!" Then a revelation hit him. "That means-"

"Nicolas must have had a way to move between worlds," Dumbledore finished.

"Do you have anything of his, like books or research materials?" Edward asked, hope filling his voice.

"Yes, I have some of those in my office."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Edward practically leaped out of his chair. "Let's go right now!"

"Ah, but there is just one problem," Dumbledore stopped the boy, a sly look in his eyes. "Equivalent Exchange."

Edward's joy dissolved for a second, but then it re-emerged. "Yeah, of course. What do you want?" he asked again, this time a sincere question.

"There's only one thing that seems appropriate for this transaction," Dumbledore announced. "I would like you to teach Alchemy at my school."

There was a moment of silence, before both Minerva and Edward exploded in protests. "He's just a child, Albus!" Minerva exclaimed.

"I am not just a child!" Edward retorted. "Besides, no way in hell am I teaching a group of snot-nosed shitheads!" Even though the curses were in Amestrian, both McGonagall and Dumbledore could discern the general meaning behind the words.

"Now, now, Minerva. If what we heard was correct, Edward would be a perfect candidate to teach the subject. And Edward," Dumbledore addressed the boy, "this is the condition of Equivalent Exchange I am willing put forward for free access to Nicolas' notes."

A short grumble in Amestrian came from Edward, before he replied, "Fine. So can we leave now?"

"I'm afraid not, Mister Elric. You'll be arriving at Hogwarts with the rest of the students." A confused look on Edward's face prompted Dumbledore to add, "Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are students; you'll be following them."

"...But..." he started to argue, but the look in Dumbledore and Minerva's eyes told him the futility of it. "Whatever," Ed reluctantly said, slouching back

"Splendid!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Then we shall be seeing you when the school term starts, Mister Elric!" And with that, the two wizards departed, turning the corner before a large 'crack!' could be heard.

"What a weird couple..." Edward mused, before his stomach growled intensely. He walked to the stairwell before yelling, "Is there any food around here?"


	3. Harry Frigging Potter

The next week was the longest week of Ed's life. He had been given a room across the hall from where Ron and Hermione were staying. It was quite plain, with a bed and something called a dresser with a mirror on it, and not much else. Which Edward was content with. He didn't need much, because he usually had Al to keep him company. With Al not around, Ed found that he had to interact with the other people in the house. Usually because Hermione drags him to do so, to improve his English.

There were the four people he met on his first day in, and three other regulars. Ginny, Fred, and George. Sister and brothers to Ron, with Molly being their mother. Every single one of them was surprised at the amount Ed ate, topping even that of Ron, their family's biggest eater, by at least two times. They were also surprised at his age. He threw a massive fit when they thought that he was 12, and a little short to be 15. Fred and George never stopped teasing him about his age or size since.

They were nice people, but he was content to be a non-participant in their usual conversations. He tried to only spoke when they asked him a direct question. It was difficult at the start, with all their talk of magic, to not burst out into laughter or scowl at their ignorance, but it got easier over time. Even when they did perform their 'magic' in front of him, like plates lifting by themselves or the house being cleaned by sentient brooms, he wrote it off as some unnatural alchemy that Flamel's notes would shed light on.

Other people would always pop in and out of the house, and sometimes they would hold secret meetings in the kitchen downstairs, but Edward paid them no mind. He'd keep himself busy with research on the Four-Point Circle or physical exercises to keep his body in working condition. Sirius was even kind enough to give Edward access to the library in his house, after Ed apologized, no matter how insincerely it was. Sirius even taught him some of the words Hermione absolutely refused to.

The monotony was finally broken when a new arrival came into the house. Hermione sounded extremely excited, judging by the squeals coming from her room, before her door burst open as she went down to greet the newcomer. The closing of her door a few minutes later probably meant whoever it was was in their room.

Edward lay back on his bed, a smile forming on his face. They had been talking about some hairy kid non-stop for the past few weeks, like he was so all mighty and important. He was their age too, apparently, and that he was in trouble or using magic or something. Ed had scoffed. He'd been in trouble many times in the military for wanton destruction or something like that. Never stopped him.

But if the kid's here means that they should be heading to Dumbledore's school soon, which mean he was oh-so close to Flamel's notes.

Screaming broke Edward's momentary happiness. Something about a sorcerer's stones or a riddle and dementia. He tried to block it out with his pillow, but the screaming came from right next door. It continued on about dragons and sphinxes and fowls until Ed couldn't take it anymore. "GOD, JUST SHUT UP ALREADY, PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" Silence. Peace. Ed exhaled, finally relaxing.

There was a knock on his door. "Edward?" Hermione's voice. "Can we come in?"

Ed was about to reply when he realized he wasn't wearing his jacket or coat; his automail was showing. "J-just a minute!" he yelled, pulling on his black jacket and boots. "Alright, come in!"

Hermione slowly opened the door, and was followed by Ron and another kid that he had never seen before. This kid was taller than Hermione, but shorter than Ron, and had messy but short black hair. His eyes were surprisingly green, behind those round glasses he wore. A lightning bolt scar rested just above his left eye.

"Need something?" Edward asked, propping himself up on his bed.

"Who's this runt?" the new kid asked, bitterness lacing his voice. Ron and Hermione both shared a look that could only say 'Uh-oh' as a vein popped out near Edward's temple.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE NEEDS A STEPLADDER TO CLIMB A FULL SIZED LADDER?!"

Just then, with a crack, Fred and George appeared in the room. They looked at Ed in anticipation, before a disappointed look replaced them. "Aww, did we miss another great shorty rant?"

"COME HERE AND I'LL BREAK YOUR LEGS SO YOU'RE SHORTER THAN ME!" Edward yelled, leaping at the twins. They Apparated away, leaving Edward to crash into the floor. Giggles could be heard further up the house. "Damn those bastards."

Ron and Hermione seemed both amused and scared "Umm... Harry, this is Edward. Ed, this is Harry," Hermione introduced the two.

Edward frowned at Harry, still coming off one of his famous rants. A thin and weak-looking kid, Ed could see something in the kid's eyes. Anger. Suffering. Determination. He was very familiar with those; saw them every time he looked in the mirror. But there was something else. Isolation. Loneliness. Whatever this Harry's been through, it was not pretty.

Harry didn't appear to share the sentiment. "What's he doing here? Is this another thing Dumbledore instructed you not to tell me about?" he demanded from Ron and Hermione. His voice was shaking. Another yelling match could start any time soon.

"What good would that have done?" Edward answered for them. Harry's glare now turned to him, and he returned the look. His self-entitlement was getting on Ed's nerves. "Would all information in the world have done anything?"

Harry snapped. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO'S BEEN TRAPPED IN HELL FOR FOUR WEEKS! YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO'S BEEN TASKED WITH TAKING DOWN VOLDEMORT! YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO'S HAD TO WATCH A FRIEND DIE IN FRONT OF HIM!"

Edward clenched his hands. What does this kid know about hell, running around screaming like the world revolves around him? About death? About-

"Edward?" Hermione gingerly asked, as if Edward was an atomic bomb ready to go off.

Harry gave her a black look. "SO YOU'RE TAKING HIS SIDE?"

"Get out." The softness of the command shocked everyone in the room. Harry didn't need to be told twice. Instantly, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. Ron and Hermione just stood here, a mixture of negative emotions on their faces, looking back and forth between Ed and the door. They decided Harry was more important, and chased after him.

Ed flopped on the bed as he fumed. He hasn't been this angry- no, that wasn't the word; upset? Disappointed?- since, well, he couldn't remember. Al was always the one to talk him out of everything, his anchor to earth, but without him here...

He tried to focus the emotions into figuring out a way home, but the dead ends just frustrated him even more. Finally he just flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes, forcing himself to sleep, ignoring whoever came up to call him down for dinner.

An an hour and forty-eight minutes passed, and there was another knock on the door. "Edward? Are you hungry?" Mrs Weasley.

He got up, feeling his limbs creak from staying in one spot too long, and opened the door slightly. Her concerned face looked at him through the crack. "I'm not hungry." His stomach growled audibly. He looked down, irritated. Et tu, stomach?

"It's alright dear, the rest of the children have gone to bed," she explained. Meaning Harry. "Besides, there's a few people I want you to meet."

Ed's stomach growled again. "Alright," he muttered, grabbing his red coat before heading downstairs.

"There's only leftovers," Molly started to explain, but Ed stopped her from continuing with a noise signaling his understanding. As they entered the kitchen, Ed saw Sirius sitting there, and a couple of new faces and old faces he just didn't care to remember.

The first person he noticed was a woman with spiky purple hair and a pale heart-shaped face, who waved happily at him. Next was a short man with a distinct lack of hair, and smelled terribly like cigarettes and alcohol. Then there was a man with a pale face and a small, rough beard with gray tints in his otherwise light brown hair. Ed could have sworn he smelled like wet dog, but didn't want to mention it. The last two were obviously part of Molly's family, one significantly older than the other. Ed wondered how many people could one family fit.

"Ah, you must be Edward Elric!" the older Weasley stood up and extended his right hand. "I'm Arthur, Molly's husband." Edward took the man's hand, feeling him squeeze his automail in a firm handshake. "Quite a grip you got there," Arthur chuckled, surprised.

"Yeah, well..." Ed chuckled awkwardly. He flailed his hand around, pretending that it hurt. "You too."

The purple haired girl was eager to be next. She stood up, and gleefully shook Ed's hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tonks!" Her hair turned from purple to pink.

"Uh..." Ed stammered, unable to believe his eyes. "Did your hair just..."

She nodded, grinning. "I'm a Metamorphmagus!" As she said so, he hair turned into a multitude of colors.

"How..." Ed muttered, as he moved around her, staring at the changing colors.

"Ahem," Mrs Weasley cleared her throat. Everyone else was staring in amusement at Ed's wonder.

The man with the gray streak in his hair stepped came to him next. "I'm Remus Lupin, pleasure to meet you." Ed shook his hand, trying not to crinkle his nose at the smell.

The balding man was Mundungus Fletcher, and the other Weasley was Bill. Ed didn't like Fletcher, he seemed too much like the criminal type.

As Molly gathered as much of the leftovers as she could, knowing Ed's appetite, the rest took an interest in the boy. They all studied him non-verbally, looking up and down Edward. He felt like a frog in a laboratory.

Remus Lupin was the first one to speak up. "So, Edward, where are you from?"

Edward looked at the man. From the look on his face, Ed could tell that he already knew the answer. "I'm from Germany," he lied, remembering a place he saw on this world's map. Lupin was surprised, but before he could say anything, Ed continued. "You already know, so why ask?"

Sirius burst out in laughter. "He got you, Moony!" The rest joined in the laughter as well, but Ed didn't miss the impressed look on Lupin's face.

"You're good, Edward," Lupin conceded, and Edward had a proud smirk on his face. "You're right, Dumbledore told us about your situation." Molly placed a plate full of food in front of Ed, who promptly dug in.

Tonks spoke next. "Wow, that's a lot of food, Ed! You're gonna eat all of it?"

"You'd be surprised," Molly chuckled as Ed started scarfing down the meal.

Between mouthfuls, Ed engaged in conversation, to the displeasure of Mrs Weasley. "He told you about me teaching, too?"

The people at the table nodded. "Dumbledore said you'd be teaching alchemy, right?" Bill asked. Ed nodded. "Well, isn't alchemy about potions or transfiguration?"

Ed sighed. Even the adults were clueless. "No. Alchemy is the art of manipulating and altering matter using natural energy," he recited, to the look of utter confusion of the adults. "Alright," he tried to explain like he was talking to a child, "see this table?" he knocked on the dining table. "It's made of wood." The adults nodded, showing no signs of displeasure that they were being treated like idiots. Instead, they were nothing if not fascinated.

"So, wood is made up of 50 percent carbon, 42 oxygen, 6 hydrogen, 1 nitrogen and 1 percent of other elements combined." Edward shook his head at the utterly confused look of the adults.

Arthur, however, had a great curiosity. "This is what the muggles call 'chemistry', right?"

"Umm... Yeah." Ed made a mental note to find out what muggles are. "So, by understanding the chemical makeup of this wood, I can deconstruct it and remake it to what I want." He clapped his hands and placed them on the table. There was a flash of blue light, and in the middle of the table stood a small, perfect replica of everyone in the room sans Edward.

"Wow! It looks like just me!" Tonks exclaimed. "Even the eyes!"

"My nose doesn't look like that!" Fletcher growled.

"Is that me or Bill?" Arthur poked his own statue.

"Why do I look like a homeless person?" Sirius asked.

"Dammit, Ed, not on the table!" Molly scolded.

Another clap, and the table was restored to normal. "So that, fundamentally, is alchemy."

"And you can do that with anything?" Lupin asked.

"Yeah, if I know what makes up the object I want to transmute," Ed elaborated. He left out the part about human transmutation. That was one thing they could remain in the dark about.

"It's no wonder Dumbledore asked you to teach Alchemy," Bill chuckled. "So what did you do before you... got here?" He paused awhile to phrase his question appropriately.

"I was a State Alchemist." Edward returned to eating his food.

"What's that?" came the inevitable question, from Sirius this time.

"Basically I worked for the military." This came as a shock to everyone.

"How can your military employ someone so young?" Tonks asked.

"Hey!" he snapped. "I am not a kid! And I'm a genius, just so you know." He took another bite. "And State Alchemists aren't your average military soldiers. You have to pass rigorous tests before you get your license."

"Isn't there an age restriction on the tests?" Molly asked. Why couldn't everyone get over his age?

"No, but they thought that the difficulty of the tests would keep anyone like me out. Obviously that failed," Edward gloated.

"So you're familiar with war?" Lupin questioned. Ed noticed some agenda behind the question, but didn't call him out on it.

"Not really. I joined during a time of relative peace. The military funds all State Alchemists research, so I do that most of the time. Research."

"So you join and they give you money to do whatever you want?" Sirius asked. "That sounds like a good life."

Ed hesitated. It wasn't like he was relaxing in piles of money... "Sort of. Every year the military conducts a review on the research State Alchemists do, to see whether we are a worthy use of the military's funds." He put down his utensils, done with his meal. "If we're done here, I'd like to head to bed." The questions were getting too close to dangerous territory.

Arthur seemed to want to ask more questions, but Lupin stopped him. "Yes, of course. See you around, Edward."

A chorus of 'good nights' and 'bye byes' echoed as he left for his room.

"So, what do you think, Remus?" Arthur asked, all their expressions now one of business.

"He doesn't seem harmful..." Lupin started.

"But he could be if he wanted to," Sirius finished, not as an accusation, but as an observation. Lupin nodded.

"But he's just a kid..." Tonks pondered.

"Yes, but those eyes are one that's seen tremendous pain," Lupin announced. "Even for one as young as himself."

"Like Harry has?" Sirius asked.

"No. I'd reckon he's seen worse."


	4. Truths and Lives at Grimmauld Place

**Author's notes:** Well, since I've got 2 assignments due in less than a week and 2 exams to sit for that I've yet to study, I thought it would be the perfect time to start a hopefully long crossover fic. Probably won't be able to get a chapter up for a week or so. Or maybe procrastination will work wonders and it'll be up soon. Who knows. Enjoy.

* * *

Edward Elric groaned in frustration yet again. In his free time, besides physical exercise and being pestered to show off his alchemy, he had been working on the equations that could allow transportation of a human from one world to another. The theory alone was ridiculous enough, let alone the value of the sacrifices needed to successfully activate the circle. Solving the equations would bring Ed one step closer to identifying and uncovering the symbols on the Four-Point Circle, which would then in turn allow him to theorize on reversing the effect. If all went well, maybe Ed didn't even need to teach at Hogwarts.

However, the Fullmetal Alchemist had a problem that he never had before. Understanding. The first step in transmutation, and alchemy in general, and _he_ , of all people, could not obtain it. That fact frustrated Edward to no end. None of the equations he came up with made sense. Even purposefully unbalancing the equations, putting aside the absurdity of the idea of magic, it still could not be balanced. Nothing seemed to be valuable enough to fit the idea of Equivalent Exchange. Nothing except...

No. _That_ wasn't an option. No matter how bleak it seemed, Edward would not be selfish enough to come to that conclusion. And even then, there was no guarantee it would work. It wasn't a one-for-one exchange...

Edward shook his head vigorously, forcing the idea out of his head. He could not start thinking about the possibilities. He would not. Crumpling another piece of paper, he tossed it against the wall, starting again for god-knows how many times.

Before he could write down the first unknown, there was a sharp rap on the door. Ed stared at it, struggling between answering it and not. Another rap. Maybe a short breather could give him a new perspective on things.

Just as the sounds of footsteps leaving could be heard, Ed called out, "Come in!" Once he saw who it was, he wish he hadn't. Harry 'the world revolves around me' Potter. A scowl crept onto Ed's face. Harry looked equally happy to be here. "What do you want?"

Harry scanned the mess of crumpled papers in the room. "Never mind, it looks like you're busy..." he said, turning around to leave. Ed almost sighed in relief, but Harry seemed to have a silent argument with someone outside, before turning back into Ed's room, looking down at the floor. "Sorry..."

Ed raised an eyebrow, trying desperately to contain his smirk. "What for?" He didn't get many opportunities to make people squirm, and he was going to milk it.

Harry shifted in his spot, hands deep in his pockets, still not making eye contact. "For sayin- yelling, what I did that time."

"And why's that?"

Harry exhaled audibly, as if couldn't believing it was dragging this long. "I didn't know who you were or your situation and I shouldn't have taken my feelings out on you." Finishing that, he glared at Ed. "Happy?"

The smile he was holding in finally emerged on his face. "Very," Ed announced, before turning back to his work. He heard Harry turn around, about to leave.

A moment of silence later, Harry asked, reluctance in his voice, "What are you working on?"

"You don't have to ask if you don't want to," Ed immediately replied. Another hushed conversation happened behind him.

"No, it's fine," Harry assured, but his tone of voice said otherwise. "Go ahead, tell me."

Ed sighed, out loud this time. Whoever egged Harry on to come here really wanted them to play nice. Fine. "All right," he started, flipping his notebook to where he had tried to replicate the Four-Point Circle. "This is what brought me here, and what I'm trying to do is to find a way back home. To do that, I need to understand what this circle is and how it did what it did in the first place."

Harry seemed to grasp the idea easily. "But couldn't you just draw that and use it to go home?"

Ed laughed at the boy's simple-mindedness. "If it were that easy, I wouldn't be here, would I?" Harry made a silent 'oh', realizing what he said. "Where I come from, there's this concept called Equivalent Exchange. In order to create or do something of a certain value, you had to destroy or give up one or more items with the same value." Glancing at Harry, Ed could almost see the gears in his head turning.

"So, if I wanted to use this circle to get back home, I need to know the value of transporting someone into another world, so I can prepare the necessary ingredients to give up."

"What if you don't have what you need to use it, but do it anyway?" Harry asked.

"Then you would suffer from a rebound, the after effects of the forces, the ones being taken and the ones being given, trying to balance themselves out. You could mutate wildly out of control, be seriously injured, or, in the worse case scenario-"

"Death."

Ed nodded. Secretly, he was surprised at Harry's intelligence. He was expecting, hoping, that the explanations would confuse the boy so much he's just leave, but Harry seemed to be absorbing this quite well.

"So once you've solved those equations, you can go home?" Harry seemed to be a little interested, now.

"Nope. _If_ I can solve it, I still have this to worry about." Edward handed him his notebook with the circle. "I have to understand this. All I can figure out is that the four elements are present within the circle, but the rest of the symbols are just mumbo jumbo to me. Some are even missing, so I can't fully study the circle. And then I have to reverse it..." Ed held his head in his hands, finally realizing how much there needed to be done.

"Isn't this the symbol for 'world'?" Harry asked.

Ed's head shot up, an incredulous look on his face.. "What?"

Harry put the notebook in front of Ed, pointing at a circle with a cross through it right beside the alchemical symbol for 'earth'. "Yeah, this one means world. And this one means earth. So the two of them close together have to mean Earth, the planet we're on." Harry looked at Ed for confirmation. "Right?"

Ed just looked back and forth between Harry and the new revelation. "How... what..." he muttered, disbelieving, brain racing with the new information, eyes darting erratically, visualizing the new possibilities. He stood up, snatching his notebook and scribbled furiously while pacing the room. Finally, he glanced at Harry. "Who told you that? Did you read it somewhere? Do you have the book with you?" His brain was firing questions faster than his mouth could ask them.

"I..." Harry stammered, still coping with this sudden change of attitude.

Impatient, Edward strode up to Harry, locking his gaze with Harry's (which required him to look up). "How do you know?" he demanded.

"I... don't know..." Harry got out, brow furrowed in thought.

Ed's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and anger. "What do you mean, 'you don't know'?!" he half-yelled.

Harry concentrated hard as he tried to find the words to express himself. "I mean... I don't know!" he exclaimed in frustration. Before Ed could strangle something, or someone, he continued. "I just know it! I don't remember reading it; nobody told me about it, but I just know!" With all the shouting, Harry felt the anger bubbling inside of him. Edward wasn't going to believe him. Wasn't going to trust him. Nobody did. He started to yell, the emotions about to explode. "It's-"

"-the truth." Ed finished, leaving Harry agape. "I know." The blond seemed eerily calm, a massive change from his state just a few seconds ago. Just like when Harry yelled at him before.

"You... believe me?" Harry asked, his rage turning into doubt.

Then, Edward did something Harry didn't expect. He grinned. ""Course I believe you!" he said, tapping Harry on the chest with his knuckle. "Thanks, kid." Edward gave a small wave with his notebook at Harry, before sitting down and returning to his work with renewed vigor.

"Yeah... no problem..." Harry said, but Edward didn't seem to be paying any more attention. He left, closing the door behind him, and turned to face a group of very perplexed Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny.

"What... just happened?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, you didn't even make any short jokes!" Fred and George frowned in unison.

"That's not the point!" Ginny prodded them both, a frown on her own face.

"So you two are alright now?" Hermione asked, ignoring the lot of them.

"I... don't know..." Harry said the phrase again. As everyone tried to understand what just happened, he made the group chuckle by asking, "Did _he_ just call _me_ a kid?"

* * *

Edward didn't come out of his room for the next few days. Even when Molly tried to yell at him to eat something, he completely ignored her or, more accurately, didn't know she existed. It was like he was, ironically enough, in his own world. Every time someone peeked into his room, Edward was completely engrossed taking notes or drawing circles or even, sometimes, talking to himself, no matter the time of day.

Even as Harry ate his breakfast, preparing for his hearing at the Ministry of Magic a few hours later, they could hear the faint sound of scribbling and the mismatched thumping as Edward paced the room, one step sounding heavier than the other.

An hour after Harry and Arthur left for the Ministry, however, Edward finally emerged from his room, looking no worse for wear, happier than he's ever been since his time at Grimmauld Place. "Morning, Mrs Weasley! Anything to eat?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

"Uh... oh yes!" Molly answered. She wasn't sure the boy was ever going to come out of that room. "Bacon and eggs? Toast?" She suggested.

"Sounds good!" Edward said enthusiastically, taking a seat at the table. "Morning, Sirius, Remus!" he chirped.

The two former partners-in-crime looked at each other, puzzled. "Morning, Edward," Lupin greeted. "You're in a good mood today."

"Finally got that stick out your arse, eh?" Sirius joked, though his worry for Harry dulled the delivery.

Ed didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, and looks like it found its way up yours," he grinned.

"Edward!" Molly scolded, bringing him his breakfast. Lupin and Sirius both laughed. The boy could definitely improve the mood of the room when he wanted to. Or when someone makes fun of his height.

He didn't apologize, merely grinned like a juvenile, eyeing Sirius in particular. The latter had a bad feeling about this. Lupin had a knowing grin too. _Uh-oh_ , Sirius thought.

"So, Sirius," Edward started, feigning interest, "what's so far up your arse that it's got you in such a fu-"

Before the word could fully be articulated, Molly screamed, "EDWARD!" The boy in question looked at her, a what-did-I-do-wrong look on his face. "Sirius! What have you been teaching the boy?!" she directed at the man, hands on her hips.

"I haven't been teaching the little midget anything!" Sirius lied, a snicker on his lips.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT EVEN INSECTS LOOK DOWN ON ME?!" Ed yelled as he stood up, ready to tackle Sirius over the table.

Two loud cracks nearly gave Molly a heart attack, and cause Edward to dive to the ground for cover. "DAMMIT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE MAGIC JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN!" Molly yelled at the newly-appeared Fred and George. "AND STOP YELLING, EDWARD!"

"We missed another one?" Fred sighed, ignoring his mother.

"Damn!" George cursed. He noticed Ed on the floor. "Looking for your friends, Ed?"

The alchemist kicked at Fred and George from his prone position, but they stepped just out of range. "Aww, legs too short, Ed?" Fred teased.

"You two shouldn't tease him so much," Ginny called from the stairs as Ron, Hermione and herself came into view. "He might get one of you these days." Hermione nodded her agreement.

Ron, too. "Yeah. Bloke's temper is just as short as he is."

Lupin chuckled as he watched Ed chase everyone around the room, with Molly desperately trying to quiet them down and Sirius having a great laugh at all of this. The mysterious boy had grown on everyone in the short time he's been here, and he didn't seem to wish harm on anyone here, not sincerely at least, but Lupin was wary. There was something dark and maybe even sinister about the boy. That, together with the inhumane obsession he seemed to be capable of, could turn him into a great threat. But for now, everything seemed fine. Lupin would have to ask Dumbledore to keep an eye on Edward.

It took a while, but everybody finally got settled down, spirits high. "So, something good happened?" Lupin asked Ed, as he ate his massive breakfast.

"Mmhmm!" Edward nodded, his mouth full. Taking a huge swallow, he spoke. "You could say that. And I've to thanks Harry for it." He looked around the room, noticing the person missing from the breakfast table. "Speaking of Harry, where is he?"

Everyone halted for a split second as they returned to reality. "He's at his hearing," Molly explained, trying to sound cheerful. Everyone took the cue and continued their breakfast. A solemn note hung in the air.

"Why?" Ed asked. "Who's he killed?"

Hermione awkwardly chuckled. "No, nothing like that. He was caught using magic outside of school trying to defend himself." She averted her gaze.

"So he's in trouble for waving his wand in public?" Ed asked, to the immature giggles of a few around the table.

"Well, it's against the law to use magic before you're seventeen here," Sirius explain, stifling his laughter under the gaze of Molly. "Something about not being prepared or responsible enough. Load of bull, if you ask me."

"And these two fit the criteria?" Edward gestured at Fred and George, earning a good laugh from the table. "I'm sure Harry's fine," he assured them, though it seems like they've heard plenty of it already.

As the breakfast progressed, with Ed eating at a speed even faster than before, the conversation slowly progressed away from Harry and his trial. Though it went somewhere Ed didn't expect.

"Did you hear?" Fred asked his fellow schoolmates. They all shook their head at the vagueness of the question. "There's apparently a new teacher coming to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, the DADA position needed to be filled," Hermione said, not surprised. "This makes it the fifth in five years." Ed wondered how terrible the students must be for no teacher to stay on for more than a year. He gulped.

"No no no," George corrected. "I heard this guy's for a new subject!" Ron groaned loudly while Hermione and Ginny looked a tad excited.

"More homework?" Ron started complaining already. He doubled over, like someone kicked him under the table.

"You don't even know what the new subject is, Ron!" Hermione chided. Sirius glanced at Edward, a glimmer in his eyes. _Oh shit..._

"I know for a fact," Sirius paused for dramatic effect, as everyone turned to look at him, "that your new teacher is in this room right now."

All eyes swerved to Sirius, then to Lupin, then to Molly. All of them debated which would be most suited and the most sensible choice.

It was only a matter of time. Ginny looked at Ed, a revelation dawning in her eyes. "Wait, Edward...?" Everyone looked at him, all waiting for him to deny it, calling him stupid or something very Ed-like.

"I'm gonna kill you, Sirius," was all he said, eyes squinted murderously.

The entire room exploded with noise. Questions, exclamations, apologies about short jokes all filled the air at once. All of the teens tried to get Ed's attention at once,

"EVERYONE SETTLE DOWN!" Molly shrieked. Everyone complied, but it was like trying to put five hyperactive puppies in a small cage; it wasn't going to last long. "Now, if you all would just ask one question at a time, I'm sure Edward would be glad to answer them, isn't that right?" she smiled sweetly at the new professor.

 _Not really,_ Ed wanted to say, but Hermione raised her hand with such enthusiasm that he would have felt bad for staying completely silent. She turned into a student almost instantly. "Yeah, go ahead," he halfheartedly waved at her.

"What are you teaching?" was the first question she asked.

"Alchemy. Next!" Ed looked to anyone but her. She looked around, wide-eyed, hoping no one goes so she can ask even more questions.

"Why?" Ron asked. A dislike for Edward started to grow, but only because Ron hated unnecessary homework.

"The old man has something that could help me get home, and I agreed to teach in exchange for it."

"Are you going to be teaching us how to do that magic you do?" Ginny asked excitedly, clapping her hands together and placing them on the table and mimicked the sound of the transmutations.

He chuckled. "Maybe. Depends of your capabilities. But don't get your hopes up," he warned. Some alchemists took years of study before being able to perform the simplest transmutations. Edward was doubtful any of the kids at the school could pick up transmutation in the short time he planned on being there.

"Got any tips for us?" Fred ask, unashamed.

"Yeah, you know, as friends!" George nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't think it would help much."

They all looked at him in confusion. "Why not?" they all asked in unison.

"Because I don't think the tips would reach you 'cause I'm so _damn short!_ " The kitchen filled with laughter once again. Fred and George held some panic in their eyes, though. Ed's smirk was mischievous, almost menacing. _Oh how they would pay._

A few hours of questions, jokes, and almost constant eating from Ed later, Harry returned from the Ministry with Mr Weasley. He had a solemn look on his face, and everyone stared, fearing the worst. Then, a smile grew on his face that threatened to split it in two. "Cleared of all charges!"

The entire room celebrated, with Ginny, Fred and George performing some war dance while chanting 'he got off'. Ed took this as the sign to leave them to their celebrating, but not before giving Harry a smile and a friendly pat on the back.

* * *

The house was filled with activity for the rest of the day. Ed could hear many voices celebrating Harry's acquittal. Loud, joyful celebration. He didn't like being surrounded by people, so Ed kept to his room for the most part.

Finally coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to be able to go home without Flamel's notes, he spent the day coming up with a rough skeleton on what he was going to teach. He was pretty sure ditching them on an island for a month would not fare well with the school's rules, so he had to come up with a simpler, safer way.

Though it would have to wait, as his door swung open, no knocks beforehand. Ed got up, ready to strike, when in walked one of the ugliest people he'd seen.

The man's face looked like someone took a carving knife and wildly hacked at a tree before coming to that 'masterpiece'. But that wasn't even the creepiest part. One of his eyes was almost bulging out from a eye-patch-like socket, and it spun around independently of his other, human eye. He walked with a limp, aided by a walking stick, and roughly strode into the room before slamming the door.

"Nice eye," Ed remarked, keeping his guard up.

The man growled, and his weird eye seemed to scan Ed from head to toe. It made him uncomfortable, like the eye could see right through him. "Can it, kid." The man growled. "I haven't decided whether you're a threat or an asset." He stood in front of the door, showing no signs of moving.

"Says the guy barging in here with no explanation," Ed retorted. He jerked his head towards the cane. "What's with your leg?"

"What's with yours?" he responded, his 'mad-eye' locked onto Edward's left leg.

"W-What?" Ed stammered. "What are you talking about?"

The man growled again, the one sound he seemingly only knows how to make, and walked up to Edward. The boy's instinctively threw a right hook, only to have the man catch it by Edward's forearm, and pulled the sleeve back, revealing the glinting automail beneath it.

Ed pulled back his arm quickly, away from the man. Fear was in his eyes, the same fear Edward felt when he first met Scar. "Who the hell are you?"

The man pulled the chair in the room towards himself and dropped onto it. "Name's Alastor Moody," he grunted. "Now, what's yours?"

Ed kept his back to the wall, hand still clutching the now covered automail. "Edward-"

"No!" Moody hissed. "You were in the military. You got a codename. What is it?"

 _This guy is dangerous,_ Edward thought. Whatever he was, whatever that eye was, whatever he did, this Moody guy was very good at it. But only trusted people could find their way into this house, according to the Weasleys, so this guy couldn't be _that_ bad.

Still, that didn't make him any less of an asshole. "Fullmetal."

"That because of your arm and leg?"

"No." That was all he was giving him.

The tension was palpable as the two considered the possibilities of their next moves. "How'd you lose 'em?" Moody finally asked.

"Does it matter?" Edward asked defiantly.

"Yes, it does," Moody snarled. "And don't even try to lie, I'll know."

Edward considered his response. He tried to keep the truth of his automail a secret whenever possible. "Lost 'em in a war."

"Lie," Moody said nearly immediately. "Do it again and getting home would be the least of your problems."

Ed huffed. What was this guy, a human lie detector? "It was an accident." Moody started to react. "A mistake!" Ed hurriedly corrected.

Moody relaxed once more. "Go on."

"We were kids-"

"We?"

"My brother. We did something considered a taboo in our world." Ed looked at Moody. "You know what taboo is, right?"

"Yes, yes," he growled impatiently. "What is it?"

"We tried to resurrect our mother. Performed human transmutation." Ed said, regret in his voice. "God, or whatever that _thing_ was," he shuddered visibly, "wasn't too happy. Took my leg as... payment for defying the laws of nature." He voice lowered to a near whisper.

"And your brother? He lost a leg too?"

"No. He was taken. Completely."

Moody fell silent, if just for a moment. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Ed half-chuckled. "You didn't do it."

"And your arm?"

"That happened when I brought my brother back."

Moody gave him a questioning glance. "You did it again?"

"Yeah. Bonded his soul to a suit of armor. That's all that came back."

Moody almost looked apologetic for a moment. Almost. He got up. "I've heard enough."

Ed grabbed the tail of his coat before he got too far. Moody turned around, eyebrows raised. "Don't tell anyone.' Ed's eyes looked glazed; empty. "Please."

Moody's gaze hardened, debating internally. "Only if it's irrelevant to any threat."

Ed's grip tightened.

"Fine. I won't. Now let go of my coat, Fullmetal." Ed promptly did, and Moody left.

The Fullmetal Alchemist slumped onto the floor, as the party continued downstairs. He pulled out his State Alchemist's pocket watch, and stared at the silver dragon insignia. _It's taking longer than I expected, but I'll come home, Al._

 _I promise._

* * *

 **Author's afterword:** Yes, Ed will be going to Hogwarts, but there's gonna be one or two chapters before that. Or until I've run out of things to write for Ed to do in Grimmauld Place. Whichever comes first. Review and whatnot if you want to, don't if you don't, thanks for reading either way. Buh-bye!


	5. Brother

"You aren't assigning any books?" Hermione asked over the lunch table. The students had just received their supply list for the new school term and were surprised, and happy for some, that there weren't any books relating to alchemy at all.

"Nope, everything's up here," Edward tapped his head. "Besides, you'd need an entire library books if you wanted to truly learn about alchemy. There aren't any 'alchemy for beginners' books."

Everyone looked relieved. Except for Hermione, who was mildly disappointed. She loved books.

"But I thought Alchemy was an optional subject for sixth and seventh years?" Ron asked. Ginny stopped in her mimicking of Ed, a 'tell me it isn't so' look on her face.

Ed shrugged. "Dumbledore hasn't told me anything yet. But there shouldn't be an age limit for learning." He took another bite of Mrs Weasley's delicious roast chicken. Didn't beat Winry's apple pie, though. Nothing did.

"Yes!" Ginny pumped her fist. "Still a chance!"

"So what are you going to be teaching?" Fred asked.

"Just the basics, really. Stuff that every alchemist should know."

"Like...?" George prodded.

"You ain't getting a head start."

"Damn it!" both cursed at the same time.

"Are you going to be teaching about the alchemical symbols?" Harry asked. Ed still couldn't figure out the boy's deal. First, he came in spouting knowledge on stuff Ed's never seen before, then goes on to forget everything completely? And now he's curious about learning alchemy, which he already knew, or didn't know? It didn't make any logical sense.

"Maybe. If you exceed my expectations, it's possible you may get to learn how to use basic transmutation circles," Ed told them. Then he laughed. "I wouldn't bet on it, though."

"Circles? Aren't we going to just clap our hands and, woosh!?" Ginny asked, demonstrating to Ed his own transmutation technique.

"Nope," Ed shook his head. "That's an... advanced technique. There's no way any of you are going to be able to do it."

"How d'you know?" Ron asked, defiant. "You haven't seen us in action yet."

"Don't need to," Ed confidently stated.

"Then how'd you do it?" Fred questioned.

"Lots of studying," he lied. "And talent."

"We could be talented too, you don't know," Harry spoke up, to the nods of the rest of the room. "'Sides, you're only fifteen, how much studying could you have done?"

"We- I started when I was four." Ed hoped they didn't notice the slip up. They didn't, instead just looking shocked. "Mom said I had an unnatural talent for it," he found himself saying.

Then, everyone heard a loud wailing from the floor above. The cry stunned most in the room, but Edward was not one of them. Sprinting full speed out of the kitchen before anyone could react, he leaped up the stairs two at a time, and dashed down the hall, skidding into the room that the wail was coming from.

Molly laid on the ground, trying to crawl away from the mangled body of Ron, sobbing as she did so. She clutched her wand, pointed it at Ron's body, and yelled, "Riddikulus!"

A quick crack, and the body morphed into one Bill Weasley, still as equally mangled as the previous body. What the fuck?! Ed couldn't help but think.

"Riddikulus!" she cried out again, choking on her tears. The body shifted from Bill to Fred, and she cried even harder. "Riddikulus!" Fred now. Then George.

No... Ed watched in disbelief. His brain clocked into overtime. This has to be just an illusion, a trick... He crouched, grabbing the sobbing Molly by her shoulders. "Don't look at it, Mrs Weasley!" he urged.

She remained transfixed in her sorrow, and cried 'Riddikulus' once again. Harry appeared last, the lifeless green eyes staring directly at her.

Ed cursed inwardly and stepped forward, ready to transmute his signature blade from his automail arm. Harry's body spun and morphed once again.

The body was now hideous, black and unrecognizable. It stared at the blonde, head twisted upside down, arms and legs twisted and broken beyond belief, and massive bones protruded out of what would be its chest. Harry, the real living one, appeared in the doorway at this moment, looking horrifically between Mrs Weasley, Edward and the monster on the ground.

Ed was frozen in place. He couldn't tear his eyes away from this creature from his darkest nightmares. "Ed-" the thing began to croak.

"No!" Ed clapped his hands and slapped them onto the ground. Blue lightning coursed the room, and the wood around Edward began to shoot forth and engulf the thing, enclosing it in a tight, wooden dome. He remained in that position, looking straight down at the ground, cold sweat forming around his head. That nightmare was over. Acutely aware of the weight of his pocket watch, he staggered to his feet, as Lupin, Sirius and Moody stomped into the room.

All the voices in the room were muffled as Ed's brain absorbed the shock of seeing that thing again. Memories of that night surfaced; the dreadful eyes staring right into his soul, the pile of clothes where Alphonse once was, the sudden pain of his missing leg.

The way it cried out his name.

No. An inner voice whispered. That was not her. You saw it for yourself.

Edward tried to force out a laugh. "Yeah, I dug it up..." he muttered.

And you saw it transform.

"Yeah..."

So it's not real.

Ed remained silent.

So what the hell are you afraid of?

"Edward!" the blond snapped back to reality, Sirius waving a hand in front of his face. "I think he's in shock," he told Lupin and Moody.

"Huh?" Sirius looked back at Ed when he made that noise.

"You alright, kid? Heard what I said?" Sirius asked, staring into Ed's golden eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed shook the man off him. "I am shocked, or something."

Sirius glanced at Lupin and Moody, then shrugged. "Good enough, I guess."

"What the hell is that?" Ed demanded, regaining some of his composure. His pep-talk monologue helped. Moody's eye swiveled to the wooden dome.

"A boggart." Lupin answered. "A creature that takes the form of your worst fear."

Edward glanced at Moody, confirming the fact that the latter saw what happened with his magical eye. "So, what, it just looks into my brain and picks it out?"

Lupin nodded. "We think as much. Never got around to asking one how it works."

The boy managed a weak smile. "So what was it?" Sirius asked. "Harry told us it was some horribly disfigured body but was still alive-"

"Sirius!" Lupin scolded.

"What? You can't tell me you're not a little bit curious?" Sirius defended himself. Moody stayed silent throughout, both eyes intensely studying Edward.

"My mom." The two adults ceased their arguing and looked at the boy. "She was killed in a terrible accident," he told them. It was half-true. If you looked at it from a very specific angle.

"Sorry..." Sirius apologized, lowering his head.

"Don't be," Ed told him. He stared at the dome. "How do we kill it?"

"Well, you can't-" Sirius tried to say, but Lupin stopped him.

"Leave it to me." Sirius gave a puzzled look at Lupin, and the man shook his head every so slightly. Ed nodded, taking his place where the wood shot out from the ground, Lupin standing in front of him, wand at the ready. With a clap, the dome started to unravel. Ed locked eyes with the creature for just a brief moment, before the boggart morphed once more, into a glowing sphere hanging in front of Lupin. With a firm 'Riddikulus!' and a sharp wave of his wand, the orb vanished.

Ed slowly walked past Lupin, toward the spot where the boggart was. The adults in the room hesitated, then decided Ed could use some time alone. Thanks, Edward mouthed. The uneven stomping of Moody paused for a split second before finally leaving the room.

Ed knelt down, palming the ground. Worst fear? No, that wasn't why the day was so haunting.

It was about Al.

It was always about Al. The price Ed paid was nothing compared to Al's. And yet Al still treated him like a brother. How? Why? And how could he be so insistent on getting his body back only and only if Ed could do the same?

" _How can I repay you, brother mine? How can I expect you to forgive?_ " The words flowed out of Ed, uncontrollable.

" _Clinging to the past, I shed our blood, and shattered your chance to live..._ " Harry and the rest poked their head out, wondering how Ed was doing.

" _Though I knew the laws, I paid no heed. How can I return your wasted breath?_ " The group, hearing this, knew they shouldn't be here. This was private, but they were entranced by the melody.

" _What I did not know has cost you dear, for there is no cure for death._ " Edward continued. His pocket watch seemed to get heavier as regret and sorrow surfaced.

" _Beautiful mother, soft and sweet. Once you were gone we were not complete._ " He felt a tingling sensation in his automail. " _Back through the years we reached for you. Alas, 'twas not meant to be..._ "

Harry felt someone tug at his shirt; Hermione urging them to go. But Harry couldn't. There was a beautiful sadness in Ed's voice that Harry felt connected to. " _And how can I make amends? For all that I took from you?_ "

" _I led you with hopeless dreams. My brother, I was a fool._ "

The cold, wooden floor was Ed's only companion that night.


	6. Hogwarts, At Last

Edward woke from a deep slumber, sprawled on the floor. His muscles screamed in agony. Spending a night on a hard surface would do that to you. And yet, there was comfort in it.

Screaming permeated the house, and frantic shuffling could be heard over all the yelling. Edward chuckled, then groaned as the sudden movement of muscles hurt him more. Life goes on. That's the law of the world.

Just then, Fred and George came into the room. "Morning, Ed!" one of them grinned, unfazed by the yelling. "You'd better get up, or else Mum's gonna go ballistic."

"Huh?" Ed blurted out, still groggy from the sleep and the dull aching of his bones. "Where're we going?"

"Hogwarts!" the other happily announced. "Now get up, you little runt, or we're gonna be late!" With that, the two of them rushed out of the room.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLI- ah, screw it." He patted himself down. Notebook, check. Watch, check. Energy, nope. But it'll have to do.

He made his way downstairs, covering his ears as the screaming got louder and louder. Molly seemed to greet him warmly, before turning into a screaming banshee at everyone else in the house. She turned back to Edward and, seeing his predicament, leaned in close and half-shouted, "You can wait outside for us, Ed! But don't go wandering off!"

The moment the door to the house closed behind Ed, all the noise ceased. Ed lowered his hands, ears still ringing. If Hawkeye became a mother, Ed reckoned that she'd be a whole lot like Mrs Weasley.

Outside for the first time in this world, Ed marveled at how this similar this London was to Amestris. Specifically, Central City. The large buildings, the roads and pathways through town. Even the presence of automobiles, Ed thought as one sped by, though not as fast or small looking as the ones here. With all the magic and wizard talks, Ed thought they'd be living in houses much more grandiose, waving their sticks everywhere they could.

But this was normal. Men and women, sharply dressed, going from destination to destination with purpose. Parents, with children, grandparents. A whole other world from what Ed's been experiencing in the house. Like he was home.

But he wasn't. Ed shook his head. This wasn't his home. It may look like it in more ways than one, but it was missing the most important bits. The parts that gave it character. Mustang, Armstong, Teacher, old lady Pinako, Winry, Al. His family.

Ed snickered. He could hear Mustang making fun of him for thinking that. We're not family, he'd deny, you're too short to be related to me.

The screaming started yet again as Molly, Harry, and a massive black dog came out. "Now," Molly said in a normal volume, straightening out her outfit. "Tonks is just waiting down the street for us. Ready, Ed?"

"What's with the mutt?" Ed asked. He'd never seen this dog around the house before.

"It's Sirius," Harry told him. The dog growled at Ed for the 'mutt' comment.

Ed laughed. "Sure it is." The dog barked, startling the alchemist.

"Sirius!" Molly reprimanded. The dog quieted down, and started chasing his own tail, but Ed had the distinct feeling it was smirking at him. Harry looked quite bemused at the dog's actions.

They moved down the street, and met an old lady around the corner. "Wotcher, Harry, Ed," she winked. "Better hurry up, eh, Molly?"

"Why the escort?" Ed asked.

"Moody's just being paranoid," Harry grumbled, clearly unhappy with the arrangement.

"He's being thorough," Molly corrected. "And with good reason."

"Voldermort's not going to attack in broad daylight," Harry argued, though he lowered his volume. "Not with all these Muggles around, anyway."

"Muggles?" Ed asked.

"People who can't use magic," Tonks explained.

"Oh, there are people like that?" Ed asked.

"Quite a lot, actually. And they don't know we exist. Imagine how much they'd freak out knowing magic is real." Tonks suppressed a giggle.

But it isn't, Ed thought. But he did get the part about not letting the average person know. People in Amestris still looked at alchemists with fear, disgust and hatred sometimes.

The walk to the train station took just around twenty minutes, and Ed felt comfortable. For a brief moment, he felt like he was back in Amestris. Even the trains weren't that much more technologically advanced compared to those at home.

That all ended when they walked straight into a brick wall. Ed flinched still, but the wall was an illusion, and they appeared on the other side, an entirely different platform, with entirely different people. Robes, owls, wands, the world Ed was exposed to back in the house, just exponentially more outrageous.. Just when the world started to feel right again.

Not long after they arrived, the rest of the people from the house arrived too, in squads. They loaded up their luggage onto the train and said their goodbyes. Especially Ed. They had been kind to him, as kind as you could to a stranger dropping into your house with no explanations, anyway. He'd be back in Amestris without seeing any of them again, God willing.

One last wave at the adults, and the train sped off, leaving the station behind. Fred and George left after a quick goodbye, and Ron and Hermione left for the 'prefect' carriages, whatever that was. That left Ed, Harry and Ginny to fend for themselves.

"Let's find ourselves a compartment, shall we?" Ginny led the way. "We can save them seats."

The train, as expect, was quite similar to the ones back home, just without separate compartments for their passengers. Most of them were filled with students of all ages. As they passed, looking for suitable seats, the students ceased their conversation and stared as they passed. One student, with slicked back platinum blonde hair and an arrogant smirk on his face, scowled as they passed by. Ed held back the urge to reach in and smack it off his face.

At the very end of the train, Harry and Ginny greeting a pudgy looking kid struggling to hold on to a toad. After a short exchange of words, they squeezed into a compartment, with a lone girl occupying it before they arrived. Ed took the window seat, directly across from the stranger. She stared at Harry.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," the girl replied, in a monotone voice, never taking her eyes off Harry. "Quite. You're Harry Potter."

"I know I am," Harry replied.

The pudgy kid, who had squeezed in with them, chuckled. Luna turned her eyes on him. "And I don't know you." Her eyes then darted to Ed. "Or you."

"That's Neville," Ginny introduced Luna to the kid, "Neville Longbottom. And this is Edward Elric." Ed gave a short, nonchalant wave as he continued to admire the country side as the train sped past. "This is Luna Lovegood. She's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."

"Wit beyond measure is life's greatest treasure," Luna recited, before bringing the upside down magazine she was reading up, hiding her face. A hush fell over the room, not knowing what to make of the quote.

"I've never seen you before, Edward," Neville nervously muttered. When he didn't reply, Neville looked to Harry and Ginny. "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't," Harry reassured. "He just gets like this sometimes. Mood swings."

"Oh." Neville looked at Ed a little closely. "Is he a first year?"

Ginny and Harry laughed, though they kept a wary eye on Ed. No reaction. "No he's not."

"Oh. A transfer student?"

"You won't believe this, but he's our teacher." Ginny got out between giggles.

"For Defense?"

"For Alchemy."

Neville looked shocked and panicked. "I didn't see any alchemy books on the list!"

"No, no, he didn't assign any books," Harry calmed his friend down. "He kinda just dropped in at the last minute."

Luna had lowered her magazine enough to examine Ed over the top (bottom?) of her magazine. "What's he gonna be teaching?" Neville asked.

"Dunno," Ginny shrugged. "But he does this weird wandless magic and it's super cool! He said there's a chance we could learn it in his class so..." Ginny crossed her fingers.

"Wandless magic?" Neville's jaw dropped. "He's going to teach us wandless magic?"

"Dad said alchemy was for old or crazy people. So which one are you?" Luna asked.

"Crazy," Ed muttered, a faraway look in his eyes. "Definitely crazy."

"I knew it," she bragged, before hiding her face once again. The other three shared a look.

"Hey Ed," Ginny tried to break the awkward tension. "Show Neville and Luna some of your alchemy!"

Ed huffed, finally looking away from the window. "I'm not an alchemy on demand machine, you know. Besides, there isn't anything here for me to transmute."

"Then do it on the floor!" Ginny bounced in her seat.

"On a moving train? Don't think so." And that was the end of that.

Ron and Hermione both entered the compartment an amount of time that Edward wasn't paying attention to later. They slumped and complained about trivial school stuff.

Shortly after, the door slid opened again. Ed looked up, about to comment on Harry's celebrity status, when he saw the arrogant looking blond kid from before, flanked by two brutish looking students.

"What?" Harry said aggressively.

The boy 'tsk'ed, wagging his finger. "Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you detention. You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments," the boy bragged, to the obvious seething hatred of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Who gives a shit?" Edward found himself cursing. "You can take whatever that is," he drew a circle around the group standing outside, "and shove it up your arse. Oh wait, you already have." Everyone in the room looked at him, fascinated. The boy and his gang angrily stared, insulted.

"Who's this, Potter?" he spat. "Your new first-year fanboy?"

"No, he's our new teacher, Malfoy," Harry retorted, a smirk on his lips.

Malfoy laughed hysterically. "This little runt?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A TINY BEAN-SPROUT MIDGET THAT CAN'T EVEN SEE SUNLIGHT BECAUSE EVERYONE'S BLOCKING THE SUN?!"

"That's the most hilarious thing you've ever said, Potter," Malfoy insulted as he finished laughing. "And you," he pointed at Ed, "detention for yelling at a prefect and impersonating a teacher. See you all in school." Malfoy left, but not before giving the entire compartment a rude sneer.

"That was brilliant, Ed!" Ron cheered. "Oh the look on Malfoy's face when he finds out you're actually a teacher is going to be priceless!"

"Does he always get like that when someone mentions..." Neville asked, but trailed off when Ed glared at him.

"Mentions what? About how I'm a super-ultra-short midget that can't see above the table?" Edward threatened. Neville stammered, uncomfortable with the aggressiveness.

"Don't be so harsh," Hermione said, before turning to comfort the boy. "Don't worry Neville, it's not personal." Ed harrumphed and returned to looking out the window.

The magazine Luna was holding started to quiver. "Luna? You alright?" Ginny asked. It became apparent, as the magazine lowered, that Luna was laughing. Hard. She laughed so hard that, at one point, they weren't sure if she was still laughing or she was choking.

"What's so funny?" Ed demanded. Her mirth-filled explanation included pointing weakly at Ed, failing to form coherent words, and a lot of wheezing. Ed got the point, though, and so did the rest of them.

It took all four of them to hold Edward back from harming Luna, who was still in fits. When Luna's laughter died down, it seemed that Ed was finally calming down. Then she burst out again, and the whole thing continued.

It took a while, but they finally got everyone settled down. As the train traveled further, Edward half-listened to their conversations while staring wistfully outside

As darkness fell over the land, the lights in the compartment came on automatically, and the teens all seemed prepared to go. Lights could be seen in the distance, casting a massive shadow into the sky. "Is that..." Ed wondered out loud.

The teens all squeezed towards the window. In the distance, approaching quickly, was a massive castle. Its tallest towers reaching towards the heavens, lights shot up from inside it, as if signaling the train to it. The glowing full moon peeked from behind the clouds, emphasizing the majesty of the castle even more.

"Yup," Harry said.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."

* * *

"Come on, Ed, we're blocking the door," Ginny dragged Ed from the train. Students were pouring out of every exit like ants from an ant hill. He could hear a woman's voice, yelling for first years to gather by her, and everyone just prodded along, pushed on like a pieces of wood in a river.

They reached the village at base of the massive castle, which looked even more intimidating from this angle. It was at this time Ed noticed Ron and Hermione had rejoined them, after their prefect duties, complaining about Malfoy yet again.

They were pushed along, towards medium sized carts pulled along by horses. Of course, nothing was at it seemed here. The horses were skeletal, and black, almost skinless, with great leathery wings. Harry looked equally interested in these horses, but the rest paid them no mind.

"What are these horse things?" Harry asked Ron.

"What horse things?" Ron asked.

"These!" Harry pointed straight at one of them.

Ron craned his head, looking directly at the horse. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

Ed walked up to the horse that was pulling the cart they were getting onto. The horse looked at him with white, pupil-less eyes. He raised his automail arm towards the horse, and when it didn't react, petted it once. When he noticed the rest of them staring weirdly at him, Edward got on to the cart.

The ride towards the castle was quiet, save for some discussion about someone named 'Hagrid'. The horse pulled the cart diligently, which was the same for all the other carts. Their appearance was disturbing, unnatural even. And Harry's surprise at seeing the horses must mean that these things were a new addition. So why weren't the rest of the students disturbed? Ed had a feeling Harry was thinking the same thing.

As the carts stopped at the stone steps leading up to the castle, Edward could see a familiar old woman waiting at the bottom. "Mister Elric?" Minerva McGonagall called out. "If you would come with me."

"Well, guess this is my stop," he waved goodbye to the group. "See ya around." He was met with a chorus of goodbyes as the group entered the castle.

"I trust your journey here was acceptable," she said, as they walked away from the crowd of students.

"Yeah, it was alright." Edward hurriedly said, eager to cut to the chase. "So, about Flamel's notes-"

"Ah, yes. Albus suspected that'd be your first order of business," Minerva chuckled. "All in due time, Mister Elric." Ed made a disapproving noise. She didn't seem fazed, though. "There is the matter of your classes that needs to be settled."

"What about?"

"Well, usually Alchemy is an optional class for sixth and seventh years. If enough people expressed interest, the class would commence."

"And, the problem is...?"

"Since you have a different approach to alchemy, it stands to reason that you may have a different approach to choosing students." She paused, letting him think about it. "So, Mister Elric, any changes?"

"Yeah," Edward said. He's been thinking about it since it was mentioned back at the house. "Let anyone interested join."

She raised an eyebrow, not expecting this enthusiasm in teaching. "Are you sure?"

"Well, maybe everyone but the newbies. First-years," he clarified.

"Noted, Mister Edward." They stopped at a door in the hallway. "Here you are. Just take a seat closest to you. Have a good evening, Mister Elric," she wished as she left the way they came.

Ed opened the door and stepped through. He was standing in front of a massive hall, next to a long table with adults sitting and chatting. He noted Dumbledore sitting in the middle of the table on a grand throne and the headmaster gave him a curt nod. The rest of the teachers seemed visually surprised, but something told Edward that it had to do with his age or height instead of his presence.

Four extremely long tables occupied the rest of the hall, with a mass of students sitting at each. The students at each table were dressed in one main color each; red, blue, yellow and green. A hush fell over all of them as Edward appeared. Lone whispers could be heard here and there, wondering what he was doing there and if he was lost.

As Ed sat down at the edge of the table, a cascade of hushed discussion washed over the hall. This continued as more and more students waltz in and took their seats according to the colors of their robes, with the whisper part of the discussion forgotten entirely.

The door that Ed came through from swung open again, and a short, older lady took the seat next to him. "You must be Edward Elric," she cheerfully assumed. "I'm Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank." She extended her hand.

He took her hand and gave it a gentle shake with his automail. "Yeah, that's right. Dumbledore told you about me?"

"Oh, what a firm handshake!" she remarked. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Yes, Dumbledore's told us about you. But I must say, you're a tad bit younger than I expected."

It wasn't a crack at his age, so Ed let it slide. Besides, she was nice about it. "Uh huh." Didn't mean he liked it, though.

"He also said that you were somewhat of a prodigy."

"You could say that." The man really knew how to feed his ego. He gestured at the four tables. "What's with the colors?"

Grubbly-Plank looked surprised. "Ah, you must not be familiar with the way Hogwarts works." Ed shook his head. "Students are sorted into four houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, by the qualities they posses. You'll see soon enough," she added, cryptically. "Over the school year, the students from the different houses compete for points, that we have the authority to give."

"Points? What for?"

"The house with the most points wins the House Cup at the end of the year. Promotes healthy competition between the students," she explained.

"Sounds like a waste of time," Ed bluntly stated.

Grubbly-Plank chuckled at his honesty. "Well, that's the way it works." Then, the doors to the hall opened, with McGonagall leading a line of children towards a stool with a big pointy hat on it. A moment of silence later, a voice burst from the hat, erupting into song.

"Does it do this every year?" Edward whispered to Grubbly-Plank. She shook her head, then returned to listening to the song intently. Losing interest almost immediately, he took out his notebook, jotting down notes on what he was going to teach, along with taking a longing look at the Four-Point Circle. He was so close.

The song finished, and was followed by massive applause. "For a hat with no vocal cords, he sure has an extravagant voice," Ed muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

McGonagall pulled out a scroll and called the first name on the list. The boy stepped forward and put on the hat. A few moments later, the hat yelled, "Gryffindor!"

The corresponding table applauded loudly, and the boy went and sat at the table. McGonagall then called name after name, repeating the ritual until every first-year was sorted into their houses. Then, Dumbledore stood up from his chair. "To our newcomers, welcome!" He announced, voice ringing throughout the hall. "And to our old hands: welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!" With a wave of both his hands, all the tables were suddenly filled with food.

Edward almost jumped out of his chair. They appeared so suddenly. Grubbly-Plank seemed amused. "I'm guessing they don't have these where you're from."

"No, we don't." Edward took a piece of ham and prodded it gently with his utensils, as if expecting the food to explode or corrode the metal. When it did no such thing, he took a careful bite.

"Wow, this is good!" he exclaimed, and Grubbly-Plank nodded, gesturing for him to enjoy himself. And enjoy himself he did, piling his plate with all the food he could reach, then quickly gobbled everything up and reaching out for seconds.

Some of the teachers at the table looked horrified at his disgraceful behavior, some looked amused. Ed didn't care though, food was food and he was going to eat as much of it as he could.

When the students were mostly finished eating, and the chatter started up again, Dumbledore stood up. Immediately, all the talking stopped, and all eyes were on him. The headmaster obviously commanded a ton of respect in this school, unlike those in Amestris.

"While we are all digesting that magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," he said. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now too.

"Mister Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, not are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mister Filch's door."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and Edward swore that the headmaster glanced at him for a moment. "We have had three staffing changes this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical creatures lessons. We are also delighted to introduce professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Also, we would like to welcome Professor Elric," he gestured to the blond, "who will be starting Alchemy classes this semester." Whispers could be heard throughout the hall, but a throat clear from Dumbledore quickly settled everything. "Now-" he started, but the woman dressed in eye-hurting pink from head-to-toe gave a throat clear of her own.

Dumbledore merely reacted for a moment, before looking interested in what she had to say. The other professors weren't as tolerant. Some even looked downright angry.

That didn't faze the pink, almost toad-like woman. She stood up. "Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was girlish and high-pitched, despite her looks. To Edward, it sounded like she was acting in an extremely low budget production as a schoolgirl that had no choice but to cast her. She seemed to be overacting so much that Ed almost retched.

"It is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say, and to see such friendly faces looking back at me!" Ed did a quick scan of the students. Not many friendly faces. "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Nope, Edward thought. Judging by the faces in the crowd, you'd be lucky to not get mugged by the end of the year.

She cleared her throat again, and launched into a speech. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered..."

Ed tuned out after hearing mention of the Ministry. A dog of the military. Or frog, in this case. The State Alchemists were called the dogs of the military, for serving them in exchange for military funding. But this woman seemed like she was a pet of the government, willing to bark when told to, stand when told to, attack when told to.

He wasn't the only one losing interest. Many students have a blank look in their eyes, staring into empty space, in the happy place of their imaginations. The speech lasted longer than Ed would have liked. He liked not having her speak at all.

Once she was done, Dumbledore applauded lightly, followed by the rest of the teachers. Edward remained unimpressed. The only reason he would clap now is to drop her into a hole in the ground.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge," Dumbledore said, though the twinkle in his eye was gone. "Now, as I was saying, as many of you may know, Alchemy is an optional subject for the sixth and seventh year students, and has been, in recent times, a rather neglected subject." The crowd of students chuckled. "Professor Elric has negotiated a compromise. He has opened his class to willing students of every year with exception of the first-years."

Murmurs rose again. "Now, the alchemy that Professor Elric will be teaching will be a difficult and unusual one," he continued, eyes hardened. "It would not be an easy class. This may deter some of you from considering joining, if any of you had an interest in the first place," he chuckled. "Judging by previous years, that would be extremely unlikely." Another wave of laughter. "With that in mind, I would like to invite Professor Elric to demonstrate a fraction of what you will be learning in his class."

Edward looked at the headmaster, who was in turn looking warmly at him. "If you would, Professor." Grubbly-Plank gave him an encouraging nod, and some of the other teachers looked on in curiosity and eagerness as well. He sighed and got up, stepping down from the slightly elevated platform that the teacher's table was on, onto the stone floor. He could hear giggles and laughter from isolated sections of the students.

He knelt down on one knee, feeling the stone, understanding the elements in the stone. Everyone waiting, though not like they did for Dumbledore. He clapped his hands together, and the noise rung throughout the hall, silencing everyone, as they watched. Over the silence, he could hear Ginny urging the people around her to watch.

Placing his palms on the ground, blue lightning crackled around the stone. The ground around him morphed as it was deconstructed, before the stone in front of Ed started to rise. When it was done, a life-sized stone statue of Dumbledore stood, arms open, a welcoming smile on his face, perfectly recreated.

The students stared in awe, teachers as well. A smattering of applause came from Dumbledore. "A remarkable likeness, don't you all agree?" The hall burst into cheers and applause at the spectacular display of magic they believed it to be. Another clap, and the statue was gone, as if nothing was ever disturbed. Edward returned to his seat, getting a pat on the back and the impressed smile from Grubbly-Plank. Umbridge had that sweet smile on her face, but he could tell she was less than amused.

Once the applause died down, Dumbledore continued with the announcements, though the students were pack full of excitement with what they just saw. Once the announcements were done, he dismissed the students, and the teachers started to get up as well.

Dumbledore approached Edward, after wishing well to the rest of the teachers. "Mister Elric, a word, if you would please." Edward promptly followed Dumbledore into the corridors of Hogwarts. "Quite the extravagant display, Mister Elric," he chuckled, as they ascended Hogwarts. "Although I daresay transmuting a stone wall would have sufficed as well."

"What fun would that be?" Edward chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "I must admit that I, too, have a flair for the dramatic." They reached a dead end, with a stone gargoyle etched into the wall. "Acid Pops," Dumbledore clearly said. The gargoyle rattled, and a rumbling of stone echoed the corridor as it rose, revealing steps leading upward. "Shall we?"

Dumbledore's office was grandiose, as expected of the headmaster of a magical school. Books stacked the shelves to the ceiling, and a red bird perched itself Dumbledore's railing.

"Whoa," was all Ed could say.

"Now, Mister Edward, regarding your Alchemy classes," Dumbledore spoke, scanning his bookshelves. "when and how often would you like the classes to be?"

"Umm..." Ed pondered. "Who's taking it?"

"Well, that is up to the students. We'll have sign up sheets in their dormitories by tonight."

"Then, three times a week, I guess?"

"Splendid!" Dumbledore clapped his hands. With a flick of his wave, a piece of paper floated itself into Edward's hands.

"Alchemy classes every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, 3 o'clock," he read aloud.

"Is that to your liking, Mister Elric?"

"Yeah, looks fine."

"Perfect!" Dumbledore enthusiastically clapped. "Now come, let me show you to your classroom."

The two of them left the headmaster's office, and took the steps to the main section of the castle. "What about Flamel's notes?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Ah, yes. It will take me a while to gather all the notes he made. It'll be delivered to you first thing in the morning."

They arrived at a classroom on the fifth floor of the main building. "This will be your personal classroom, your living quarters are in a separate room at the back of this class," Dumbledore pointed out the door at the back. "That is all, Mister Elric. I wish you a very good night. You should rest up," he smiled, "your first class starts tomorrow."

"Thanks, old man," Edward called out as Dumbledore walked away.

"Think nothing of it, my boy. Equivalent Exchange. Your efforts, for Hogwart's housing."

Edward went straight into his bedroom. It was simplistic, just the way he liked it. A window provided ample viewing of the school grounds and the lands beyond. A small bookshelf provided him space for Flamel's notes. A bed provided him warm comfort and a place to sleep in.

"Wait, did he say tomorrow?"


	7. Worlds and the First Class

True to his word, as Edward exited his bedroom early in the morning, tying (not braiding!) his hair to its usual position, a stack of leather bound books lay on his desk. The books had no titles or inscriptions on them at all and were either black or red, leading Edward to believe that Flamel was a man with excellent taste.

A short flip through the top book confirmed that this was the alchemy Edward was familiar with, coded and containing multiple Amestrian terms. Ed felt positively giddy, and continued to do so as he brought the entire stack of books back into him room, haphazardly leaving them all over the floor.

Two sets of papers on his desks started to dampen his mood, though. One was a stack of rules and regulation Hogwarts' teachers had to adhere to. Edward flipped quickly through them, not bothering to read any of them thoroughly, looking for anything important this thing might contain. The final few pages had rough directions to all the important sections of Hogwarts, and the times that breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the Great Hall. The other piece was just a list of names. He saw a few familiar names on them, and a lot of unfamiliar ones.

Ed glanced at the clock. Breakfast had just started. Grabbing a random book by Flamel, he made sure his automail was well hidden underneath his coat before he set off for breakfast.

He remembered where the path split to Dumbledore's office and to his classroom coming from the Great Hall, and he found himself at the hall with only minor incidents involving almost walking into oblivion when the staircases moved, cursing his mouth off and then subsequently swearing words at the _living paintings_ which he was certain would be against teacher regulation.

He noticed Grubbly-Plank already at the table, conversing with another teacher. The students who had bothered to wake up this early to have breakfast stole sideways glances and took part in excited whisperings with their friends as Ed took his seat at the teacher's table.

As he forked copious amounts of food onto his plate, he took out Flamel's notebook and started his puzzle solving. The world seemed to fade out as Ed spent all his focus on the notebook, decoding Flamel's writing while absentmindedly stuffing nutrients into his mouth.

This specific notebook spoke about Flamel's theory of multiple worlds. Well, not so much a 'theory' as the alchemist's understanding of how something like that could exist.

The notes said that with every decision made in a world, an entirely new world is created, no matter the choice, whether big or small. This meant that, potentially, millions of worlds could exist, invisible to everyone except the ones living on their specific world.

Ed paused. This meant that there was a world where he and Al didn't try to bring their mother back. He shook his head, derailing that train of thought. Nope, he wasn't going there.

Flamel also theorized that the worlds created from the smallest of decisions were closer to the original world than the worlds created from the world-moving ones. Even with his genius level intellect, this baffled Ed the first time he read it. It then goes on to say something about barriers keeping all the worlds apart, and yet everything exists in the same place at the same time.

Before Ed could make heads or tails of it, a sharp 'clink' brought him out of his trance. He looked up and was met with a completely empty hall, apart from him. All the food had disappeared without him noticing, and his fork was in contact with a perfectly clean plate.

He returned to his classroom, peeking into others occasionally as he passed by. Ed noticed one class, the one that the pink monstrosity Umbridge was teaching, looked like they were in constant agony. He ducked away when Umbridge glanced at his direction.

Ed finally sat down at the desk after getting into a shouting match with the paintings that insulted him the first time round. Glancing up at the clock, he was glad to see that he had just over five hours to himself before his class started. Grabbing a quill someone had left for him in a drawer, a bottle of ink and some spare paper, he brought out both his and Flamel's notebooks, and started to work on understanding his theory.

After going through multiple formulas and interpretations, Ed jotted down his understanding of the theory in his notebook. Each of the different words were separated by walls, all around them at once, yet invisible to the naked eye. The smaller the differences between the worlds, the thinner the walls between them. If the worlds were wildly different, the walls would be much thicker as a result. Ed scratched his head in frustration, unsatisfied with his analogy, but unable to find a better way to put it.

Further deciphering Flamel's notes confirmed Ed's simplistic theory. It talked about how the barriers could be broken, but it required a tremendous amount of energy, and the breach in the dimensions would close up almost instantly, making it a one way trip, and to breach the barrier from the other side would require a different amount of energy, making controlled leaps throughout worlds, though theoretically possible, physically improbable.

But that's not all. Each of the worlds has a specific professor that only can only be found in a single Professor that does not-

"Professor!" Hemione snapped. Ed looked up, about to snap at whoever dared disturbed his research, when he saw his class was full of teens, sitting at their desks, whispering to one another. Five-past-three, the clock read.

"Uh, right," Ed acknowledged the girl. He noted that all the teens that lived with him at the house were here, along with that Malfoy kid, though without his lackeys. Ed rummaged for the box of chalk he'd seen earlier and moved the blackboard to the front of the class. He quickly sized up the room. Ginny and Luna seemed like the youngest students in the class, which means that everyone was at least a forth-year student. He stood in front, hands crossed, chest puffed, trying to look as threatening as possible.

"What's up, you runts." A few of the older kids snickered, but a glare from Edward shut them up immediately. Fred and George remained silent. "You probably know me as 'the guy who did that really awesome thing with the stone at dinner' or, more simply, as 'Professor Elric'.

"Now, some of you may be here because you want to do cool shit. Some of you maybe just want to learn what all that was all about. Some," his gaze lingered maliciously on Malfoy, "may have come here just to see if I'm actually a teacher."

Ed tossed around a piece of chalk. "Well, no matter what you came here for, fact is you're here now. Willing to learn. And for those of you who think this is just a trial run, and you can quit anytime, you're sorely mistaken. Alchemy is not something you can half-ass. If anyone has doubts, they can leave now, or else you will see this through to the bitter end." Nobody got up. Seemed like they'd thought the risk of taking an extra class through already.

He smiled. "Seems like all of you are more determined than I gave you credit for." Ed snapped of a small bit of chalk. Students flinched, although Harry and the rest seemed to already be expecting something like this. "I will not be like any teacher you've had. Alchemy is not something you can pick up a book, read, then practice it, getting a slap on the wrist or detention if you get it wrong. It takes hard work, diligence and the ability to follow instructions to the letter. If you're missing any of that, well, I'm sure I can provide some..." Ed paused, flicking the small piece of chalk with his hand. Eyes were all locked on the chalk as it shot across the room, slamming into the door that was left slightly opened. The door slammed shut as the chalk disintegrated with a small, violent puff of smoke. "Motivation," he finished, an evil grin on his face.

"Is that a threat?" Malfoy asked aggressively, standing up.

Ed snapped the rest of the chalk into half. "You wanna find out?" Ed asked, the smile remaining on his face. "Please say yes." Malfoy sat down reluctantly, seeing no one that shared his sentiment.

"Right, now that pleasantries are out of the way, let's start for real." Ed scrawled two words on the board with a new piece of chalk. "Equivalent Exchange is the heart of alchemy. It is the fundamental law that everyone must live by, and those who use study and use alchemy must abide by it, with zero exceptions."

A girl raised her hand. "What's that?"

Ed looked disappointed. He didn't expect anyone here to know about it, but he hoped otherwise. "Take a guess..." he trailed off, hand extended towards her.

"Padma Patil," she told him. Judging by the blue in her uniform, Ed assumed she was in Ravenclaw. Whatever that means. She thought about it for a moment. "Does it mean to get something you have to give something similar in return?"

"Congratulations," Ed said, clapping sarcastically, "I see you have the ability to read and understand words." Some students tried to cover up their giggles as Padma looked offended. "I didn't see any of you come up with anything," Ed glared at the laughing students. They promptly shut up. "That was a close guess. Nice try," he sincerely told Padma, which made her slightly happier.

"However, 'close' means nothing in alchemy. In fact, it may even be worse than not trying at all." Ed put down his chalk, dusting his gloves off. "Equivalent Exchange means this: In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed." His students stared at him, some blankly, with the exception of Harry, who had been instructed very briefly on the topic. "I expect each and every one of you to be able to recite this exactly, from heart, without missing a beat." They all scrambled to jot down what he said.

The girl sitting beside Draco raised her hand. "What if you break that rule?"

Ed stared at the girl. "What's your name?"

"Pansy Parkinson."

"Well, Parkinson, you'd suffer from what's known as a rebound. See, alchemy is just like an equation." He wrote "5 = 5' on the blackboard, which he assumed would be simple enough for them. Judging by the looks on their faces, it was. "Both sides have to be perfectly balanced for alchemy to work." He then replaced the equation with '3 = 7'. "If you attempt too much out of too little, as in, you make a mistake in the equation, the energies on both sides go out of control, doing everything they can to stabilize themselves." He drew lines across the equation, back and forth until the unbalanced equation was covered up, then wrote '5 = 5' again.

"You might end up with unwanted chunks of metal sticking out of your body, extra bones that grew out of control, or create an explosion that paints the room with your blood and guts." Looking at the absolutely horrified looks on everyone's faces at his vivid descriptions, he grinned. "The possibilities are endless," he threw his hands upward, as if describing a wonderful subject matter. "So if you don't want any of that to happen, you will abide by the rule of Equivalent Exchange, is that clear?" They all nodded.

Sharp tones rang throughout his class similar to noises a bell would make. The students started packing up. "Hold on!" Ed called out, and everyone stopped immediately, fearful of chalk attacks. He wrote a phrase his own teacher drilled into his and Al's heads: _One is All, All is One_. "Solve this, by the same time next week, as a bonus challenge." Everyone looked at the phrase, puzzled. "First guess is free, but failing to guess subsequent times means detention. Those who get it right will get something special. You can work together to figure it out, but getting it wrong as a group means instant detention for all of you, whether or not it is your first guess. Got it?" Nods all around again. "Great, now scram."

Ed wiped down the blackboard as they left, pausing at the 'One is All' line. He smiled nostalgically, remembering the month he and Al had to figure out that riddle, all while trying to survive on a deserted island. Seeing as how these kids didn't have to hunt for food, build their own shelters and hide from a large monster pretending to try and kill them, Ed thought that a week was more than enough for them.

He glanced at the white mark on the door. "I'm going to need more chalk."

* * *

Ed sighed in relief as he leaned backwards in his chair. Since his lesson ended, he had been at his desk, going through the rest of Flamel's first notebook with no distractions. A quick peek at the clock told him that dinner was out of the question; it was almost midnight. Ed made a cursory review of what he had learned from the rest of the book.

To break a barrier between worlds, raw energy was not enough. The energy has to be directed, focused and channeled, with the easiest way being a transmutation circle. Early experiments with small object by the alchemist concluded that even an advanced, complex and perfectly balanced circle had no effect. Something more was needed.

And his first set of notes ended there. This was nothing to the Fullmetal Alchemist, though it may have been because Flamel didn't have anything important to hide. He closed the notebook and left it on the desk.

Ed felt his joints creak and pop as he stood up after hours of disuse. The pale moonlight shone through the classroom windows, emphasizing the cloudless, dark sky. _Seems like a great night to take a walk._

As he strolled through the halls of Hogwarts, no particular destination in mind, he wondered if Flamel ever accepted all this magic nonsense. The living paintings, the moving staircases, the wand waving. Everything went against the basic instinct of alchemists, of the world that Edward knew, and he had trouble accepting how people took it as if it was absolutely normal. He understood how, but couldn't comprehend it.

Everyone, paintings included, were asleep, so Ed moved through the castle with no altercations. Eventually, he walked out into the courtyard at the entrance of the school. The stars blinked down at him as normal. He gazed back at them. No matter where he was, the stars would never change.

Ed took a deep breath. He thought about Flamel again, whether he had anyone he cared about or loved in Amestris. Had any unfinished business. Commitments. He'd obviously spent a ton of time trying to get home, judging by the quality and quantity of his notes, but Ed couldn't help but wonder if any of those just started to fade away.

There were nice people here, willing to treat Ed like family despite being complete strangers, and it must have been the same for Flamel. Willing to help him adjust to this new world, new people. Help ease the pain when he couldn't get home.

 _No, not when. If._ Ed still had a long way to go. And even if Flamel didn't figure out how to get home, he would. He had peered inside the Gate, damn it, and it would be a cold day in hell before the Fullmetal Alchemist let this get the better of him.

Ed came back out of his mind and noticed he had paced the courtyard multiple times. He trembled in anger and frustration. There he went, losing himself in thoughts that lead nowhere.

He laid down on a small stone bench, sighing, staring up into the sky. He needed Al. Al would always be the voice of reason to his outbursts, his counter-spiral to Ed's own, the other side to his equation.

He loathed to admit it, but his desperation to return home could be more selfish than he wants it to be. He had no right to be selfish, not after all he's done.

 _Al. I'm sorry._

* * *

Deacon rubbed the stump where his hand used to be. He tried to stop whatever that blond brat was trying to do, but whatever he did, or went, took his hand with him.

They didn't know about that magic circle in their hideout, and Xander was pretty pissed about it. He became unpredictable, cursing whoever he felt like at the time, and those who got on his nerves, even a little, were taken away for extra punishment. And judging by the screams echoing through the halls, it was more than just some workplace counseling.

That's why he opted for guard duty most nights. No way was he going to be down there with that unhinged jackass. After that incident, he tripled the number of guards in the forest, ordering them to kill anyone that got too close. Everyone silently agreed to just double the protective charms around, as a death would make the East City military even more suspicious than they already are. No one would tell this to Xander, though.

Deacon went around a thicket of bushes; Mother Nature was calling. Before he had time to do anything, a large force slammed against him and he was sent tumbling, smashing his head against the trunk of a tree. His vision went blurry, and he felt liquid trickling down the side of his head. _What the hell was that, a train?_

Two massive hands grabbed him by the shoulder and roughly pushed him against the tree. He felt his wand slip out of his pocket, and a faint rustling of leaves where it landed.

Twin red orbs stared directly into his own eyes. They seemed to burn with the rage-filled flames of hell. Then, it spoke four words that would be burned into Deacon's memory forever.

"Where is my brother?"

* * *

 **Author's afterword:** Song Ed sang in Chapter 5 was 'Brothers' sung by Vic Mignogna. I'm too much of a copypaster to come up with my own song. :)

Also, thanks to all who reviewed! All of your excitement to read turns into my excitement to write, no pressure on you to leave a review, though. Do it if you want to, don't if you don't. On break from school for now, though that's countered by my need to binge watch _Psych_. So, I'll see you when I see you. Buh-bye!


	8. The Wheel of Fate Turns

_Ed stood in complete darkness. He couldn't even see the back of his hands. He tried to walk. He tripped._

 _"What's the matter, Mr Alchemist?" he heard a familiar voice echo all around him. "Lost?"_

 _Ed punched at the ground in frustration, but only came in contact with the darkness. He tumbled through the world, and found himself inexplicably upright again. "Where the hell am I?"_

 _Truth faded into his vision. He extended his arms, as if reaching for a hug, and uttered a lone, solitary word, the grin never leaving his face. "Home."_

* * *

Edward woke up with a jolt. His body shined with cold sweat, his heart pounding with adrenaline. _Damn that bastard..._ He was supposed to be guarding the Gate, not tormenting his dreams. And 'home'? Amestris was his home. And he was not in it.

Noting that there was still ample time for breakfast, Ed got dressed and ready, grabbed another of Flamel's notebooks and headed to the Great Hall. As usual, he exchanged some coarse words with the painting of a knight before reaching his destination.

More students filled this hall than when Ed was here the day before, but he probably didn't notice the extra wave yesterday. The Hall's talkative mood became hushed when he walked in, many eyes following him from the entrance to his seat. Ed locked eyes with the Malfoy kid, who did an awkward combination of both sneering at him and averting his gaze.

He sat down, did his ritual of forking ungodly amounts of food on his plate, and started reading. This one seemed to be about the basics of alchemy, so Ed wasn't as interested in it as he was with the book before.

He wished that wasn't the case. A disgustingly sweet throat clear came from somewhere in his vicinity, belonging to a certain toad-like professor. _I'd hate to be the guy who has to deal with this shit_ , Ed thought, a small smirk on his lips, pitying whoever she was going to talk to.

"Ahem." The throat clear came again. A blob of pick appeared at the edge of Ed's vision, stopping directly in front of his table. His smirk disappeared instantly. _Please don't tell me..._

"Professor Elric," the sweet voice called. Ed closed his eyes, feeling a migraine hitting him like an oncoming automobile. _Crap. I am that guy._

"Professor Elric!" Umbridge sternly called, voice somehow an octave higher.

He put on his best 'get away from me' face before looking up at her. "What? I'm busy here."

She, however, was not fazed. "Might I have a word with you, Professor Elric?"

"You've already had..." Ed counted with his fingers, mockingly, "nine words, that's more than enough, right?"

If she was annoyed, she didn't show it in the least. She walked around the table and sat beside Edward. "Professor Edward, I have heard rumors of your... interesting class, to say the least," Umbridge said, a mixture of contempt and satisfaction in her eyes.

"Yeah? Well, you didn't sign up for it, so I'm afraid there are no more spots." He gave her a cheeky grin, holding back the urge to vomit. "Better luck next time." Another piece of delicious bacon went into his mouth.

The slightest of furrows appeared on her forehead, though her demeanor remained pleasant. She tried another method of approach. "I'm sure that you are familiar with the conduct of which the Ministry expects of their teachers here at Hogwarts."

"Sure," he mumbled, mouth full of food. He lied.

"So you must also be aware that threatening students with physical violence is against Ministry policies," she said, and waited for a response.

Edward took his sweet time to chew and swallow his food. Umbridge, however, remained patiently waiting, that smile never leaving her face. That irked him. "What do you mean?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Do not play games with me, Mister Elric." Her voice took on a more venomous tone. "Just because Dumbledore has seen fit to appoint someone as young as you to be a professor, does not mean that the Ministry approves of you."

"You can take your approval and shove it," Ed retorted. She reeled back, visibly flustered now. "See, you don't really have any power here. All you can do is just throw around your connections with your precious Ministry an hope it makes an impression."

Her facade vanished, hearing the fifteen year-old alchemy teacher show absolutely zero respect for the Ministry. "Now you listen here-"

"Struck a nerve, have I?" Ed interrupted, a lopsided smile on his face. "So the only thing you love more than power is your government itself, huh? Sounds like you're a genuine dog of your Ministry."

Umbridge stood up abruptly, throwing the chair on the floor. Those students that didn't already hear the not-so-hushed argument now turned to look at her. Her rage lapsed temporarily as she glanced at the students in the Hall. Straightening out her pink cardigan, she tried to reapply her gentle and sweet pretense. "We shall speak of this matter another time, Professor." She spat out the last word, before striding out of the hall.

"Bring your leash next time, maybe I'll take you for a walk!" he called out to her. Her stride paused only for a split second.

Ed stretched in joy. It had been awhile since he felt the rush of sticking it to someone. Usually that person was Roy, but Ed thought this was better. He couldn't wait to see what she would do next.

Until that time, though, Ed would just have to keep busy with his other duties. He spent the rest of that morning and most of the afternoon in his class, researching, though he learned nothing that he didn't already know.

So it was a welcome disturbance when a certain bushy haired friend of Harry's entered his class."Professor?" Hermione asked. She closed the door behind her, alone.

"It's not class time, Hermione, so don't go calling me that." Ed waved a hand, as if lazily swatting a fly.

"Umm... okay, Edward...?" she tentatively said, obviously uncomfortable with treating a professor so casually on Hogwarts grounds.

"Don't you have other homework or whatever you need to be doing?" Ed asked. He casually stuffed the notebook into a desk drawer.

"Well, that's actually what I'm here for," she announced, exuding confidence now.

Ed raised an eyebrow, curious. "Alright, I'll bite." He sat on the table. "Take a seat," he suggested. Once the girl was properly seated, he got down to business. "So, you got a guess for the riddle already?"

She nodded. "I think the riddle means that we're all connected."

Edward looked somewhat impressed. She seemed to have gotten close. "That's a little vague. Is that all you got?"

"Well, 'All' has to mean everything, and 'One' has to mean me, or an individual, right?" Hermione reasoned. Once Ed gave his approval, she continued. "Then 'All is One, One is All' has to mean that the world is part of me, since it basically created me, and I am part of the world, since everything I do gives back to it."

Now Ed was really impressed. "You got that all in just one day?" She made a noise of confirmation. "And you're not sharing this with Ron or Harry?"

"Well, Ron is Ron, and since this is not compulsory he doesn't seem to care, and Harry's..." Hermione trailed off.

"Lemme guess, he's in trouble cause he mouthed off to the wrong people at the wrong time?" Ed said. She nodded again. "Typical."

"It's not his fault," she immediately defended. "Well, it was, but Umbridge was claiming that Harry was lying about You-Know-Who being back and that he was making all that stuff up just for attention and so Harry stood up in front of the whole class and yelled at her and she gave him detention-"

"Whoa, slow down. Don't forget to breathe," Ed stopped her. She was like a machine-gun, rattling on and on without pause. Hermione looked embarrassed, then took a few deep breaths. "Okay, first of all, I don't know you-know-who. Explain."

She looked shocked. "Oh, right, you're not from..." Seeing the look on Ed's face, she didn't finish that sentence. "You-Know-Who is the most powerful Dark Wizard to exist, and he tried to kill Harry when he was a baby."

"He got a name?"

Hermione cringed slightly, then whispered, "Voldemort."

"That's the guy Harry was pissed about back then," Ed recalled out loud. "What did you mean by 'tried to kill'?"

"Well, the curse he used on Harry backfired on himself, and he died. Up until last year, when Harry saw him coming back to life." Ed laughed, and this startled the young witch. "What's so funny?"

Ed gave her a face of disbelief. "Oh, come on. You don't seriously believe that resurrection is possible, do you?"

"Are you saying that Harry was lying?" she asked, offended.

Ed rubbed the bridge of his nose. Do people think that their magic can do everything, even if it's against the laws of nature? "Alright, let's just not talk about this and get back to the riddle, okay?" Hermione looked displeased, but agreed anyway. "Your definition could use some refinement, but you got the general gist of it. You got it right."

Her face lit up, though the negativity on her face still remained. "You said you would give the students who got it right something special. What is it?"

"Yeah, about that," Ed scratched his head. "I didn't think anyone would be able to solve it, so I don't have an actual prize yet."

"But..." Hermione stuttered, face one of severe disappointed. Ed felt terrible for her. She must have put in so much work to get ahead of her class or get some recognition, and now she had nothing to show for it. Except knowledge she had what it took to be an alchemist, but Ed had a feeling she wouldn't be happy with just that.

He sighed. "Fine, fine, here's what I'll give you." She perked up. "One question. You get one question to ask, and I'll answer it to the best of my ability. You can take it back, think about it, don't even have to use it if you don't want to."

Hermione thought deeply for a full minute, with Ed fidgeting about impatiently after the first three seconds. Then, she finally spoke. "Why don't you believe Harry?"

Ed rolled his eyes. "You really want to waste your all-encompassing question on that?" She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head, and went back to contemplating. Ed groaned, looking up at the ceiling. She then mumbled something, too quietly for him to hear. "What was that?" he asked, leaning closer

"What was that song you were singing about?" she repeated, only slightly louder. Ed, realizing what the question was, stared at her, stunned. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, getting up, immediately regretting her decision. "We didn't mean to walk in on you that night, we just wanted to check if you were okay and then we heard you singing that beautiful song but we didn't understand it because it wasn't in English but it sounded so sad so we've been thinking about what it could mean and-" she inhaled deeply.

"No, it's okay," he assured her, stopping her panic attack. "It was about my brother."

"You have a brother?" Hermione asked carefully. She seemed to know it was a sensitive subject.

"Yeah. Alphonse. He's a year younger than me, and we are all that we got. Our dad left when we were young and our mom died a few years after. Bastard didn't even come back for the funeral," he hissed, contempt lacing his voice.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked.

"Don't be," Ed said. He shook his head. "Al and I get by just fine without him."

Hermione paused, thinking of the next thing to say. "So your brother's waiting for you all alone at home?"

"Not really. If I know Al, he's probably looking for me by now. Maybe even with the help of the colonel," he chuckled.

"Colonel? Like in a military?"

Ed's brow furrowed and he blinked rapidly, coming out of the short trance talking about Al set him in. He got off the table. "You've already used up your question, and got more than one answer out of me. I think that's more than enough."

Hermione looked bewildered, like she just heard the biggest cliffhanger to a story ever, before bowing her head in acceptance. "Yes, professor." She strolled to the exit, slowly, as if she was hoping Ed would change his mind. When it was clear that he wasn't going to, she turned around once more. "I'm going to find out more about your story, Ed. Mark my words."

Ed grinned. "You can try."

Hermione returned the smile, and left his line of sight. He sat down, retrieving Flamel's notebook. That small chat with he girl reignited his motivations to get back home, and he wasted no more time getting back to it.

* * *

The moment he was informed that Ed was missing, Al almost lost it. He stormed into Mustang's office, yelling at the colonel. Al wasn't angry with anyone in particular, but Mustang did sent Ed alone to investigate without backup, and Al latched onto that fact.

The Flame Alchemist informed Al that he was sparing no man in the search for the older Elric, and even if something did happen to Ed, the boy was nothing if not capable of defending himself. Al trusted the colonel; he cared deeply for his subordinates, including the extra sense of responsibility he had for the Elric brothers, even if he didn't show it. That did nothing to ease Al's mind.

The wait throughout the second day was hellish. Al camped out in the library, just like he'd promised. The books kept Al company, if only for minutes at a time. Every time the doors opened, Al expected Ed to waltz in, a shit-eating grin on his face, all battered and bruised and saying something like 'Sorry to keep you waiting, little brother' before collapsing on the floor. Nope. As soon as he heard the doors creak, Al's expectations flew through the roof, then got dashed just as quickly.

At the end of the day, he'd gone to Mustang yet again, to try and find out if anything relating to Ed came up. But, once Al saw the untidy mess of papers around the desk and the dark circles under the colonel's eyes that were still burning with resolve, he backed out. Self-directed anger filled Al. His brother was missing, everyone was working non-stop to find him, and what was he doing? Sitting in the library, waiting for the world to bring Ed back. No. That wasn't how Elrics did things.

So, when night came, Al made a hole in the back of the compound, snuck out, then resealed it perfectly with alchemy. He silently moved away from East City, and when he was far away enough, ran full speed towards the forest, disappearing from the view of the city.

Now in the forest, Al kept low, not wanting to attract the attention of whoever had his brother. It took quite a bit searching, but Al managed to uncover a small dirt figure of him hidden underneath leaves and twigs. Ed was here. And it did give Al an idea.

Now, with leaves and twigs covering his body, Al hoped that he looked like an over-sized bush as he followed the trails of little Als. He came across a small patch of blackness on the ground and realized that it was a small piece of black cloth when he picked it up. Al put it in his armor's chest cavity for safe keeping.

Progressing further, Al couldn't find any more little hims, deducing that this was probably where Ed got taken. So he hunkered down, disguised as a bush, waiting for someone to come by.

And his patience paid off. No later than thirty-four minutes and twenty-seven seconds later (Al was counting), a man in a full black robe and hood walked out from deeper in the trees and started stood around. A guard. Al kept still, waiting for this man to lower his defenses.

This man was a terrible guard, as not more than five minutes later, he started fidgeting and moved away from his post. Al got ready. As soon as the man slowed down, Al broke into a full sprint, shaking off the leaves and twigs that disguised him. His full, uncovered armor pummeled into the man, sending him headfirst into a tree. Before the man could get up, Al grabbed him and slammed him against the tree. "Where is my brother?" he growled.

"Wha...?" the man mumbled weakly through a white mask that had slits for his eyes and mouth. Al didn't find this answer acceptable, and he threw the man on the ground. The robed figure found his bearings, and tried to crawl away, eyes affixed on the armored monster approaching him.

Al pinned the man to the ground with one hand. "Where is my brother?" he asked again, emphasizing each word slowly.

"I-I..." the man stammered.

"Wrong answer," Al announced. He punched the ground next to the man's head, and felt the man flinch hard. "Don't make me ask again."

"W-wait!" he held his hands up defensively. "Are you talking a-about that little blond alchemist?"

"Yes!" Al said, feeling excited at the prospect of finding his brother.

"H-He disappeared..."

Al would have felt his stomach drop, if he had one. "What do you mean, 'disappeared'?"

The man was trembling now. "W-We captured him," he paused, as if expected an outburst, "then he tried to use some alchemy and activated a magic circle and disappeared and that's all I know!"

Al looked at the man in disbelief, though he couldn't show it. No transmutation array that Al's heard of could make someone just vanish into thin air. "Take me to it," he commanded.

With Al's vice-like grip on his arm, the man led him further into the woods, avoiding the other guards in the area. They came to a large mansion, which astounded Al. It looked old and decrepit, but the strangest fact was that Al had never seen this before, not from East City and certainly not from the edge of the forest.

The inside of the house didn't look much better than the outside. Cobwebs, rotting wood, creaky floorboards were common as Al and the man moved through the house. For a place in such disrepair, though, the floor was suspiciously dust-free, and Al didn't sense any insects or bugs nearby.

Al's hostage led him down into the mansion's basement, quietly. It had a completely different feel compared to the house above, constructed out of what looked like smooth concrete, without any seems, cracks or lines in the walls and floors, apart from the metal doors even spaced out

"It's this one," the man whimpered, gesturing to a door in the middle of the hallway.

Al placed a hand on the door, trying to push it open. When it didn't budge, he looked at his captive. The man shrugged. "Don't move," Al ordered. Clapping his hands, the Armored Alchemist placed them on either side of the metal doors, creating a larger set of double doors that easily opened. The room inside was dark, devoid of any thing other than the concrete walls. Al looked at the man. "You said there was a circle here. Where is it?"

"I-I don't know! We didn't know it was there until that brat activated it, then it was gone as fast as it appeared!" the man said, flustered.

Al glanced back into the room. "Wait here." He meticulously entered the room and searched every inch of the wall and the floor, looking for any trap doors or mechanisms.

The moment Al stepped into the center of the room, he felt a surge of energy. The same kind of energy he feels whenever he uses alchemy. The room glowed with white light as the runes below Al came to life. He looked to the man standing in the doorway. "What did you do?" The man didn't seem to hear him, but his eyes widened behind the mask. "Hey!" Al yelled. He tried to reach out for the man, but his hand was met with some sort of invisible force, repelling him back into the circle.

The man shuddered, looking around at something that wasn't there, then ran away. "Hey!" Al yelled after him, but he was already gone.

Unlike his brother, Alphonse didn't get a good look at the circle before it took him.

* * *

The next day started just like any other for Edward. Woke up early, went down for breakfast with notes in pocket, scolded the painting on his way there.

Umbridge was nowhere to be seen that morning, which Ed took to be a huge blessing. The teacher's table at breakfast was quite full this morning. Either everyone's stomach seemed to be empty at this time, it was a Wednesday tradition for all the teachers to gather and have breakfast, or that Umbridge's absence meant that they could all come and eat in peace.

He took the only available seat next to a man dressed in black, with shoulder-length black hair and a permanent scowl on his face. All throughout breakfast, Ed caught the professor giving him disapproving glances.

After the eighth glance, Ed turned to the professor and, with a mouthful of food, confronted him. "You got a problem with me, tall, dark and greasy?"

The man's face scowled even more, if that were possible. Edward had the feeling that he'd already made this guy's dislike list. "You will address me as Professor Snape, is that clear, Professor Elric?"

"Yeah, whatever you say, Snape," Ed dismissed.

The professor's eyes narrowed. "Arrogant, impertinent, foolhardy."

"Excuse me?"

Snape's eyes locked with Ed's. The alchemist felt a chill run down his spine. "You have all the qualities of a conceited fourth-year, and none befitting that of a professor. I fail to see why Dumbledore would allow you to teach here."

Ed tore his eyes away from the man, focusing on Flamel's notebook. There was something unnatural about Snape, and Ed didn't like it. "Whatever. Why don't you go ask him yourself?"

Snape's mouth twitched, as if trying to hide a smile. Or trying to smile. "Perhaps I will. In the meantime, unlike you, I have lessons to prepare for." He got up and walked out of the Great Hall, black robe billowing behind him, leaving the Fullmetal Alchemist unconsciously rubbing his automail.

Ed, again, spent the rest of the morning in his classroom. This set of notes gradually talked about the possibility of the use of, what the people call here, magic.

Flamel confirmed Ed's theory that the magic in this world could have been just another form of alchemy. Or maybe a distant cousin. Ed thought of the possibility that alchemy and magic were just different ways of using the raw power that flows through every world, like different branches on a massive tree.

He didn't have time to assess his new findings, however. Ed's eyes grew wide in horror as he decoded the final page of book. He took off, faster than anyone could say 'Flamel was creating a Philosopher's Stone'.

He got a lot of disapproving exclamations and hushes as he dashed across the Hogwarts premises. "Acid Pops!" Ed yelled at the gargoyle, sprinting up the stairs when the thing finally shifted high enough.

As Edward reached the top, entering Dumbledore's office, he saw the end of a discussion between the headmaster and Snape. They both looked at him. "Ah, Professor Elric, to what do I owe the honor?" Dumbledore asked, smiling.

"I need to talk to you," Ed said. He glanced at Snape. "In private."

The headmaster and Snape shared a look. Wordlessly, Snape walked past Ed, not acknowledging his presence, and left the two of them alone. "Now, Professor, I would appreciate some notice before you come barging into my office next time," Dumbledore chuckled, sitting behind his desk.

"Yeah, well, this is important." Ed walked up to Dumbledore's desk and plopped the notebook on it. "Did you know that Flamel was trying to create a Philosopher's Stone?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard, amused. "My boy, he didn't just try. He succeeded."

Ed gritted his teeth in anger and disbelief. "Does he still have it?"

"Unfortunately, no. After an incident with Voldemort a few years ago, Flamel and I agreed that it was best destroyed to prevent it from getting into the wrong hands," Dumbledore explained. At seeing Ed shaking in anger, he asked, "What is the matter, my dear Edward?"

"Do you know what goes into making a Philosopher's Stone?" Ed said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Live humans."

Dumbledore's smile faltered for just a moment. "That's not possible. I knew Nicolas, and he was not the kind of man to sacrifice people for his personal benefit."

Ed paced the room, frustrated. "It says right there," he pointed to the notebook, "on the last page, that he was going to attempt to create another Philosopher's Stone, possibly to try and get home. He had his own notes on Amestris when he tried to do the same thing."

"But he did not go home, even after he created the Stone," Dumbledore deduced. "He lived a long and happy life with his wife here. Perhaps circumstances changed, Edward. He may have found another substitute for... human lives."

"No, no, no," Ed denied. "The Stone allows the user to bypass Equivalent Exchange by using human souls stored in it during its creation. Nothing is more precious than souls. Unless..."

"Unless?" Dumbledore asked, curious at the boy's train of thought.

"Unless you know something more valuable than the lives of human beings."

* * *

 **Author's afterword** **:** Yay, slightly longer chapter + plot progression!


	9. Parallels

Unlike most of the other classes, the students in Edward's class were dead silent even before he started teaching. It may have been because of the pieces of chalk lined up neatly at the edge of his desk, but Ed liked to think that it was his natural charisma that commanded respect from the students.

"Now, before I begin, I'd like to congratulate the few of you who has already figured out the riddle from the previous lesson," Ed said. Even though Hermione was the only one, he figured that a little embellishment would get the slackers to work harder. "The purpose of the riddle is to find out if you really do have what it took to become adept at the use of alchemy. Next Monday's the deadline, and those who give me an acceptable answer will be allowed to proceed further with the actual practice of alchemy than those who do not, along with being able to ask me one question that I will answer the best I can, within reason. Understood?" Everyone nodded.

"Great. Now, today, I will be covering a few topics." Ed wrote 'Equivalent Exchange' on the board again. "All of you should burned this law into your brains by now." They all nodded again. "Well, Equivalent Exchange can be separated into two more specific laws. Anyone wanna try and guess them?"

Draco Malfoy put up his hand, though his expression remained disinterested. "The result of the alchemy has to be the same weight as its components before the transmutation."

"Not bad, Malfoy," Ed said, impressed. Draco's Slytherin fans all gave him pats on the back as compliments. "You're not just a rich, arrogant kid who's only good for target practice, after all." Draco scowled.

"Malfoy's right, however," Ed declared as he scribbled on the board. "The Law of Conservation of Mass. Matter cannot be created from nothing, nor can it be destroyed entirely. For example, if I wanted to create a statue weighing one kilogram, I would need one kilogram of materials, and if I were to destroy that statue, the resulting components would be equal to one kilogram as well. Got it?" Some students nodded, some shook their heads and some looked utterly confused.

"Those of you who don't, too bad. Consider everything you don't understand your homework. Now, next law, anybody?"

There were a few guesses across the room, but none of them were right. At least it wasn't a total waste; Parvati Patil, Blaise Zabini and Lee Jordan were the students to guess.

Ed wrote on the blackboard as he spoke. "The Law of Natural Providence. A an object or material can only be transmuted into objects or materials with the same basic elements or properties. Wood into wood, stone into stone, but not wood into stone. Questions?" Ron put up his hand. "Yes, Weasley?"

"Sorry, Professor, we didn't have any questions," Ginny, Fred and George all said at once, trying to contain their smiles. The class burst out into laughter.

Three pieces of chalk flew through the air, barely a blur, and smacked right into the three Weasley's foreheads. The chalk pieces stayed intact this time, and clattered on the floor. "Now, anyone else wants to have a good time?" Ed threatened, a killer grin on his face. Everyone fell immediately silent.

As Ginny rubbed the pink, stinging flesh, covered with white chalk marks, Fred and George puffed out their chests, wearing the injury like a badge of honor. "Worth it," the twins chimed together.

"Now, Ron, do you have a question for me or am I going to have one more target to practice on?" Ed said, glaring at the final Weasley.

Ron sputtered, trying to remember what he wanted to ask. As Ed reached for another piece of chalk, he spoke up quickly. "Wait, I got it! Can you turn lead into gold?"

There were a lot of ways to answer that one. Ed could have told the class that it would take a lot of lead or coal and a very complicated transmutation circle, about how alchemists took centuries to learn about the unique relationship lead had with gold, about how it could seriously damage the economy.

So he didn't. "No, you can't." A few of the faces looked genuinely disappointed. "You are not going to be happy if you think alchemy can be used for a get rich quick scheme." He saw people look at Fred and George.

"Now that we've dealt with your greed, I expect all of you to memorize this by heart as well," Edward ordered as they copied the definitions down, wiping the blackboard clean. "Now we move on to the actual act of alchemy in action: the transmutation. Or as you all might know it as: clap, boom and magic."

"Are you going to be teaching us how to do that now?" Ginny asked, excited.

Ed laughed. "Not even close, girl Weasley." He wrote three words on the board. "Transmutation is a precise science, with three, equally important steps. Comprehension, deconstruction and reconstruction. For now, we'll be focusing on the first one.

"Comprehension is to understand the inherent structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a material that you want to transmute, including the flow of energy in it. Now, in order to do so, you need to know the fundamentals of chemistry and molecular science..."

The double period class seemed to drag forever as Edward drew and explained the alchemical science behind the most common elements in the world, plus those most commonly used in alchemy and transmutations. Students like Ron had given up moments after Ed began his full length, Muggle Studies-like lecture, and those who were remotely interested in alchemy found it impossible to understand. Even Hermione was having trouble keeping up.

Loud sighs of relief rippled throughout class when the bell announced the end of the lesson, though everyone staying in their seats, waiting for instructions from their professor, lest they suffer his white-hot, chalky wrath.

Ed dusted his gloves off after such a long period of non-stop writing. "Alright, I want all of you to write a report on the properties of any material of your choosing based on what you learned today. The more common the material, the better. If it doesn't meet my standards, detention. Report's due next lesson."

The entire class groaned. "But that's two days from now!" Pansy whined.

"Yes, I know how days work, Parkinson," Ed said, rolling his eyes. "You've got all of Saturday morning to do it as well, so I don't see the problem."

A disorganized chorus of reluctant acceptance followed the students out of the classroom, leaving Ed, Ginny and Luna behind.

"We think we've solved your riddle, Professor," Ginny boasted.

"Really? If you're wrong, that means instant detention, you know," Ed warned them.

"We won't be," Ginny confidently assured. "Tell him, Luna."

Luna adjusted her glasses with the air of an accomplished scholar. " 'All is One, One is All' represents a cycle, where the world provides the necessities for us to live, and we in turn provide the world what it needs to continue on living."

"Huh. That's actually right," Ed said. "How did you come to that conclusion?" Then, remembering Luna's bizarre... existence, he waved his hand. "No, never mind, I don't want to know." Luna seemed disappointed, not able to share her theory.

"So can we get our questions now?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Question," Ed corrected. "You two shared the answer, so you have to share the reward."

"Fine. So can we use it now?"

"Sure."

The two of them entered a whispered discussion. Then, when they seemed to agree, Ginny did the talking. "Could you give us a hint or something so we can learn alchemy faster?"

Ed gawked at the question, before he scoffed in amusement. "There's no shortcut to alchemy. It's all hard work and determination. With a little bit of talent."

"Sounds like something every other teacher would say," Ginny mumbled.

"We're not looking for a shortcut, Professor," Luna clarified. "We were just wondering if there was any tips you could give us that would prepare us to perform transmutations quicker when the time comes."

Ed felt guilty. For someone as 'loony' as she was, Luna held a great deal of intelligence in that mind of hers. Maybe he misjudged her.

Luna swatted at something invisible, like trying to get rid of a fly. Maybe not.

"If you really want to waste no time learning how to transmute, you'll need to seriously learn, think about and understand everything I said today, along with paying full attention in future classes," Ed told them. They nodded, with anticipating looks on their faces. "I'm not going to let you even attempt to do so if this," he waved at the blackboard, "isn't second nature to you girls." They nodded again, eyes wide. Ed sighed. "Alright, here's a tip. You need to be able to draw perfect circles and straight lines when the time comes, so practice on that."

The girls, Ginny mostly, squealed in excitement. The Weasley girl gave Ed a quick, surprised hug, before dragging Luna out of class, rapidly talking all the way. Ed just stood there, flabbergasted.

With class over, Ed returned to more pressing matters. The Philosopher's Stone. Dumbledore did not, in fact, know of a more valuable source than human lives, but he was convinced that Nicolas would not have committed such atrocities. Edward wasn't focusing on what Flamel did, however, but what the knowledge of the Philosopher's Stone could have on this world. If Voldemort was truly as horrible as Ed had heard, it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that he would be looking for a way to create one of his own.

Then Ed thought back, to the men who captured him. They had sticks, wands, and tried to use their spells on him before the circle brought him to London. If someone could send wizards to Amestris reliably, that could only mean that another in this world had a great deal of knowledge about alchemy. It could even be Voldemort himself.

If his hunch was right, there was an entire nation of people threatened by the mad vision the dark wizard had. Wizards and non-wizards alike. Innocents that would become victims. Ed couldn't stand the thought of leaving an entire world to die, or worse, just because of his selfish need to get home.

But that was all it was. A hunch. A feeling. No concrete evidence to prove him right or wrong. For all he knew, the art of alchemy in this world could have died with Flamel. And Ed's own world needed him. His brother needed him.

Thunder rumbled across the Hogwarts campus. Ed felt an aching in his shoulder and leg where the automail connected. He stared wistfully at the gray clouds looming in the horizon.

A world for a world. Equivalent Exchange. But how could he choose?

* * *

The moment the circle activated, a bright light engulfed Al, and he felt like he was being pulled apart, stretched to his absolute breaking point, not to mention the rapid flash of colors that Al had no way of looking away from. It was at times like these he wished he was able to black out, or be knocked unconscious. Though his predicament meant that he was unable to throw up, which he was slightly grateful for.

When the world finally stopped being a blur, Al had to steady himself against the nearest surface. Being nothing but a soul in a suit of armor, he wasn't able to feel dizzy or nauseous, but the ordeal left him curiously disoriented, something he hasn't felt since the accident.

He found himself in the center of a circular room. The center area was surrounded by low wooden walls, except for a short corridor that ended at a door. Wooden benches were located behind the walls, escalating in height with each bench. Directly opposite the corridor was a massive wooden podium, towering even over Al in height, and he could see a chair at the top of the podium. The walls were high reaching, with aged illustrations residing in small alcoves along the walls.

This looked like where criminals would be trialed before their sentencing to Al, belonging to an important or rich government, judging by the embellishments and the detail in the room. He wasn't in the abandoned mansion anymore. "Hello?" Al called out, his metallic voice echoed throughout the room. Al was prepared to engage any hostiles that appeared, but none did. "Anyone there?" Nothing. "I'll just be leaving, then," Al called out one last time.

He moved towards the door, hunching over to not scrape his head against the ceiling, and exited this room. It led to a large, square room, supported by dark stone pillars placed strategically all across the room. Similar doors were carved into the sides of the room, with one set of stairs leading upwards and another leading downwards on opposite ends.

With the metal clanking of armored boots echoing throughout the halls, Al thought it would be better if he went up, get a better vantage point to observe the area.

The next floor was equally dark and disturbing. A corridor connected two doors on either end to the flight of stairs Al took. He decided to go through the door closest to him.

This one led to a large circular room, with tunnels going vertically up, and grates preventing entrance to the tunnels. There was one grate that was not closed, and a man stood in an extremely small, well lit room. The man, dressed in what looked like a military uniform, just stood and stared blankly at Al. "Um, hello? Mister? Where am I?"

The man's expression didn't change. "Hello?" Al asked. Still no response. Al threw caution to the wind, and stepped into the box with the man.

At this point, the man spoke. "Where to?"

Al was confused. Not because the man finally broke his wall-like demeanor, but that he was speaking a language that Al has never heard of before. What was weirder was that Al understood the man perfectly. The response Al wanted to give seemed to translate automatically in his mind. "Umm... take me out of here, please."

"Right, level eight it is then," he droned.

"Excuse me," Al politely asked, still puzzled at how he's able to speak and understand a completely foreign language, "but could you take me to the exit, not level eight?"

"Take the phone booth from the Atrium at level eight. This lift doesn't go to the exit," the man spoke, emotionless and monotone.

"Oh. Thank you," Al said. The man did not respond.

Al did not expect what was waiting for him at level eight. A whirlwind of colors, people bustling about their business, a massive golden fountain depicting people and some creature stood in the middle of the massive atrium, spouting water into the small pool below them. What seemed like colored papers flew periodically overhead from hall to hall.

Al stepped out of the elevator in awe. The people looked at him, irritated, and gave him a wide berth, but otherwise doing nothing. The flying paper, the people appearing from green flames in fireplaces, the massive, moving banner of some old guy; it all seemed so wondrous, so impossible. Almost like-

"You! In the armor! Stop right there!" a stern voice called. Everyone look at Al, horrified, before moving away from him, and parting the way for a group of robed men and women. The man had a hardened look in his eyes, like he had seen many battles before. They were all pointing sticks at Al. "Show me your identification!"

Al held his hands up. "I-I'm sorry, I don't have any identification."

The man looked at one of his allies, a woman with pink hair. "Restrain him," he ordered. The woman nodded. Thick ropes shot out from the end of her stick, binding Al's arms together behind his back.

"Hey!" Al exclaimed. The robed people slowly approached him carefully, sticks still raised aggressively. These people were not friendly. Tapping his bound hands together, Al used alchemy to deconstruct the ropes binding him together, freeing him from his restraints.

Al ducked just in time, a flash of red light flying over his head. The man was yelling orders to his subordinates, and they all seemed prepared to fight. It was wise to avoid whatever enemies were shooting at you, even if they were shooting bolts of light. A quick flurry of blows took out the few that were closest to him. Before they could do anything else, Al clapped his hands together again and created a column of stone below him, propelling him towards the fireplaces. If people could enter from there, they could exit as well.

Landing with a large thud, Al spotted the red phone booth the man in the elevator was talking about. He didn't understand how the fireplaces worked, so the phone booth was his safest bet. It, too, had a large shaft going upwards. Al reasoned that this massive place was underground.

He took off for the booth, trying to anticipate and dodge the beams of light coming from behind him. With loud cracks announcing their arrival, more robed figures appeared in front of Al, sticks that could shoot light raised at him. He clapped again, going into a low slide, dropping under the lights, and created two massive makeshift shields.

Pushing himself back onto his feet and keeping him momentum, Al could block the bolts coming at him from the front with his new defenses. Lights blasted against the stone shields as Al made his way closer to his escape point.

He pushed off to the side, smashing into one of the men, knocking him unconscious, before hurling one of his shields, smashing open the tube above the phone booth, the shield shattering upon destroying the reinforced glass.

Al leaped into the shaft, feet first, before fusing the stone shield with the rest of the glass, sealing it shut. The man stared daggers at Al, before yelling some orders to his fellow attackers. The alchemist looked up. The shaft led up, up and away, into darkness, and Al was above the phone booth.

Then, he had an idea. Clapping his hands again, he transmuted a hole in the wall beside him, revealing dirt. Once there was a big enough hole to fit his large body, he deconstructed the earth above and around him, reconstructing it below his feet, creating a makeshift elevator as the dirt rose away from the underground complex.

A hole in the walkway above appeared, and Al's armored helmet popped through like a gopher, scanning the streets for any sign of the robed people. When he was happy there wasn't, at least for now, he raised the dirt and repaired the path.

At first glance, Al thought that he just came out of a super lair beneath Central. But the more he looked, the more he saw differences between this place and Central. The longer he lingered, the more time those men and women had to catch up to him, so Al ran.

He hunched over as he ran, trying to make his large frame seem smaller. That didn't work, though. A massive suit of armor running through the streets did attract some eyes and pointed fingers.

When he felt like he had put enough distance between him and the underground lair, Al slipped into a small alley and created a concrete box for him to hide in.

Sitting in the darkness, in complete silence, waiting for the robed men and women to give up chasing him gave Al plenty of time to think. An unknown language, wildly advanced automobiles, a city he hasn't seen before. Could he have been sent to another world?

An involuntary shiver started to come over Al. What if he'd been hallucinating the entire time? All his memories, all artificially implanted into this hunk of metal, forced to work for whoever those men are. What if Amestris was just a figment of his imagination, created to keep him in line? What if he was never human in the first place?

Al hugged himself tightly. The last time his fears took over, Winry was there to bring him to his senses. But what if she was a lie too? Al started rocking back and forth unconsciously, mind racing about the truth of his life. If it could even be called that.

He snapped to alertness as he felt small, short vibrations on the ground. Footsteps. Al started to hear footsteps as whoever was outside got closer. It stopped, right outside of Al's improvised hideout.

Escape scenarios started to unfold in Al's mind, putting aside his existential crisis for now. He could head underground again, but he didn't know how far or wide reaching their lair was, so it probably was not a good idea. Al didn't know how many of them were out there, so he could shoot rocks out from inside the box, just like how Major Armstrong does. Then he could escape to the roof of either of the buildings. But then there was the problem of-

"Excuse me? Hello? Are you in there?" a woman's voice asked, knocking on Al's box.

He was confused. She sounded nice, and she didn't sound like she was after him, but that could all be a ruse to get him captured.

"Hello?" the voice asked, and tapped once more.

Against all better judgment, and the knowledge that Ed would kill him if he found out, Al answered her. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk," the voice assured.

"That's code for 'I've got people ready to take you out the moment you appear', right?" Al said, hesitantly.

"No, it's not," she persuaded. Al thought he heard laughter. "I really just want to talk before they find us. Maybe move someplace quiet. Kinda hard to do that when you're in a box."

Al, easily trusting and convinced, returned the stone around him to the original alley walls and floor. "Okay..."

The woman talking to him was wearing the same black robes, and had bright pink hair. "You know, you sound a lot younger than you look."

"Wait, you're the woman that shot ropes at me!" Al exclaimed. He knew this was a bad idea.

"Wait, wait, wait!" the woman urged. "Give me a chance to explain, alright?" Al contemplated, then nodded. "Well, you can't blame us for being so aggressive, I mean, you did show up out of nowhere in that badass suit."

"I guess so..."

"To us, it seemed like you somehow infiltrated the heart of the Ministry, and that made you an immediate threat. But then when I saw you doing that wandless magic-"

"Alchemy."

She snapped her fingers excitedly. "Yes, alchemy! You can use alchemy, which means I have a pretty good idea who you are and how you got here."

"Really?" Al asked. "How can you be so sure?"

"Easy: with one question. Do you know who Edward Elric is?"

* * *

Ed sneezed. Apparently, the ceiling in the Great Hall was 'enchanted' to mimic the weather outside, and with it pouring rain from the sky above, Ed thought that he caught a cold from something in the air, even though there was no actual rain indoors.

Dinner was lively. With Umbridge supposedly away giving detention to a student, it seemed like the whole school could cut loose, just for this moment. Unfortunately, the storm was making Ed's automail ache constantly, so he didn't share the same enthusiasm as everyone else.

"Bless you," McGonagall said, sitting beside him.

"Huh?" Edward looked at her, confused. "Oh, right. Yeah, thanks."

"Is something the matter, Edward? You seem terribly distracted."

 _Yeah, the rain is making my metal limbs hurt._ "It's nothing."

She didn't look happy with the answer. "If you insist." McGonagall paused for a moment. "How is your way home coming along?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"Not that great. Flamel seemed to have given up on the 'normal' way and tried to use a shortcut. If there even is a 'normal' in this situation," he sighed, still coming to terms that Flamel would kill for the Stone, then not using it to get home anyway. A disgusting waste of human life.

"Then is it not possible for you to use the same shortcut?"

"No," Ed said without hesitation.

The abruptness and forcefulness of the answer shocked McGonagall. "Well, then I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, Edward."

The alchemist thought hard for a while. "What do you teach?"

Again, McGonagall was taken aback at his rudeness, but she was slowly getting used to it. "Transfiguration."

"What's that?"

"It is the branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, and can be considered one of the most dangerous and complex forms of magic the students learn here," she explained, almost as if she was teaching a class.

"Why?" Ideas and revelations were starting to form in Ed's mind.

"The nature of Transfiguration makes it so that it requires extreme precision and hard work from the caster, and thus can result in extremely disastrous results if performed improperly." McGonagall looked at Edward curiously. "I was under the impression you did not believe in magic, Edward. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, it's not like I have much choice, do I?" Ed reluctantly admitted. "Besides, I think that there's a connection with all of this," he waved primarily at the enchanted ceiling, "to alchemy."

"You have a very open mind," McGonagall said, though Ed was pretty sure that was sarcasm.

"Whatever. Mind if I sit in some of your classes?" he asked, though he was going to do it regardless.

A short pause. "I see no reason why I would not allow it. Though I must warn you, Edward, I will not tolerate any outbursts or interruptions in my class," she said, strictly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be on my best behavior," Ed promised, half-heartedly. Maybe by learning how energy is manipulated in this world, he could get a better understanding of how the Four-Point Circle worked.

It was better than what Flamel did.

* * *

 **Author's afterword:** Thanks for leaving reviews. It really feeds my ego- ahem, I mean it _encourages me_ , and also gives me inspiration. I've also stuck with this for just about 10 days now, which is a new record for me. Also, action scenes are fun to write. :D

Leave a review if you don't mind; I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing.


	10. Magic is Science

**Author's notes** : Long weekend, start of school, insert more excuses here. Happy Star Wars day, everybody. Enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

"You know my brother?!" Al almost screamed.

"Shh!" the woman urged, looking over her shoulder. "They're gonna be here soon, we need to move to a safer location."

"No," Al refused. "Not until you tell me how you know my brother."

The woman looked over her shoulder, then at Al, before sighing. "Edward dropped in out of nowhere one day, claiming to be from another world and he's been trying to get home ever since." Al stayed silent and still, processing what she said. It made absolutely no sense, and yet it fit the puzzle at the same time. She seemed to take his thought process as more skepticism, as she said, "Edward. Small blond kid, said he was a State Alchemist where he's from, gets really angry when you call him short."

 _That sounds like Brother_... "Okay, where do we go?"

The woman looked Al up and down, disapprovingly. "Guess we have no choice," she mumbled, then motioned for Al to follow her to the opposite end of the alley. She peeked out, scanning the open area closely. Then, she gave the 'all-clear' signal, and the two of them sprinted down the street, with nobody in sight. It would have made a hilariously weird sight.

"Umm, what's your name, miss?" Al asked as they hid in another alley while she waited for the area to be completely clear of people before they made their move again.

"Tonks. Let's talk once we're safe, okay?" she asked. Al nodded, intimidated by her confidence.

She motioned again, and they ran. Over her shoulder, Al could see her making gestures with her hands, like she was having trouble remembering directions. More than once she stopped in her tracks, looked behind Al, then shook her head and continued in the original direction.

"Why are you helping me, Miss Tonks?" Al questioned.

"Can this wait?" she asked, trying to maintain a steady breathing.

"Please, Miss Tonks. Why would you go against the people you're working for and help a complete stranger like me?"

"Because some of us like to do what's right, not what our bosses think is right," Tonks said between breaths.

Al thought of the many times his brother had gone against authority to help those in need. He could see why, at the very least, Ed trusted her. Birds of a feather.

"It's here," Tonks announced, stopping at a brick wall, before doubling over. She noted that Al didn't seem to be breathing hard at all. "You're not the least bit tired after all that running?"

"Not really."

"Wow, you're a beast," she complimented.

"Thanks..." Al said dejectedly. It wasn't like he wanted this. In fact, he'd give anything to feel exhausted or sleepy or even pain again. "Where's this safe place?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Right here." Tonks pulled our her stick, and Al flinched. "Don't worry, it's not for you." She muttered something that Al couldn't quite catch, and waved it at the wall. One by one the bricks came alive, sliding outwards at first, before the entire mass of extended bricks parted down the middle, revealing a set of stairs descending downwards.

"Whoa..." Al breathed, metaphorically.

"Come on, then, before they find us," Tonks suggested, gesturing for Al to go in first.

He complied. As he squeezed himself down the stairs, flames flared into life, burning on wooden torches fused into the wall. The sound of grinding bricks echoed throughout the hallway as Tonks closed the secret entrance behind them, cutting off the natural light that once bled into the tunnel.

At the bottom of the stairs was a well-lit and well furbished room, complete with a bed, a small square table with accompanying wooden chairs, a small kitchen with a sink and even what looked like a miniature refrigerator. "What is this place?" Al asked.

"Gimme a sec," Tonks squeezed past Al's large frame, went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle with a pumpkin as a cap and downed the entire contents in one gulp. She 'ahh'ed in relief, before responding, "This was a safehouse, built by the Ministry for use by its Aurors. Pumpkin juice?" she offered, retrieving another bottle from the fridge.

"No thanks," Al declined. She shrugged and starting drinking from that bottle too. "Wait, these Aurors are those guys in the robes like you, right?" She nodded, while drinking. Al started to panic. "Then wouldn't they know where this place was? They'll find us eventually, won't they?"

"Relax, this place has been considered defunct by the Ministry for years. Something about a Doxy infestation."

That explanation didn't do anything to calm Al down. He looked around rapidly. "I-Infestation? Where?"

"We've cleared it out for our personal uses," Tonks assured, throwing away the two bottles of pumpkin juice she just drank. "So you'll be safe here, I promise." She watched in amusement as Al moved around the room, inspecting the facilities; pushing down on the bed and hearing the old springs creak, turning the sink on and off, checking the inside of the fridge. "You know, you're safe now, so you don't have to wear that thing around anymore."

Al shot up, like a bolt of lightning just struck him. "Uh, no! It's alright, I'm fine! It's part of my alchemy training," he hastily explained.

"Okay..." Tonks eyed him suspiciously. "You know, you sound a lot younger than you look. What's your name?"

"Alphonse." Did Ed not tell them about him?

"That's a nice name," she complimented, pulling up a chair for herself. "Well, Alphonse, you must have a lot of questions, so shoot."

A million questions ached for release in Al's mind. He started with his top priority. "Where's my brother now?"

"He's at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Al couldn't help but giggle when he processed that answer.

"What's so funny?"

So many things. "Well, Brother has never been one for school, and also magic doesn't really exist."

Now it was Tonks' turn to giggle. "That's what Ed said the first time. Magic may not exist where you're from, but here it's very real." To prove her point, she focused, and morphed her nose into a duck's beak. Al yelped in surprise. Carefully, he reached out with a finger to touch it. "Hey!" Tonks slapped his hand away.

"Sorry!" Al apologized quickly. "It's just, I've never seen anyone do that before... Magic, huh..."

"You seem to be taking this better than Ed did," she remarked.

"I... kinda sorta wished magic was real after reading a lot of stories," Al sheepishly admitted. "I have a lot of free time. Please don't tell Brother."

She threw her head back in laughter. "No worries."

"So what did you do to convince Brother to attend? He hates going to school."

"He's not studying there. He's teaching."

Al tried to stifle his laughter. He had a hilarious mental image of a fire-breathing Edward terrorizing students like a monster would to a city. Once he calmed down, with Tonks patiently waiting, he asked, "Can I go there now? I want to meet my brother."

An apprehensive look came onto Tonks' face. "That might be a problem."

"Why?" The little joy and relief Al had felt was suddenly starting to fade. Quickly.

"Well, after your little stunt of wrecking the Ministry's headquarters trying to escape, I expect you to be pretty high on their wanted list right now, and it just so happens that there is a Ministry of Magic official at the school right now as a teacher."

"You mean after all that, with Brother so close right now, and I can't see him?" Al asked, dejected. He sat down on the floor, slumping against the wall.

"I'm sorry, Al," Tonks got up, but didn't know how to comfort a seven-foot tall armored giant moping in the corner, "we're going to find a way to get you to Ed without landing the both of you in Azkaban, alright?" Al didn't respond. "In the meantime, you just get some rest. You must be tired after everything that's happened."

Al's continued silence only made Tonks feel guilty and awkward. She wasn't good at this kind of stuff. She placed a hand on Al's shoulder plate. "I'll be back soon, Al. I promise." With that, she left, up the stairs and out into the world, leaving Al to his own devices.

But Al wasn't tired. He couldn't be. He couldn't even go to sleep no matter how hard he tried. Every moment of his cursed life he spent awake, forever thinking, trapped in this steel cage of a body. He sensed the vibrations of Tonks' pat on the shoulder, but that was all he felt. He couldn't feel the comfort, the warmth, the _love_ behind anything.

He curled up even tighter. The flickering of the shadows only seemed to mock him. _You're one of us_ , the silence said. _A mere imitation of what once was. Never to experience the joy of life._

They were right. He was like them. Just a shadow of his former self. Incapable of human emotions. Alone in the universe.

Tonks was right. He was a beast.

Al never craved for his brother's presence more.

* * *

Beads of sweat dripped of Ed's brow. It has been a while since he felt like this. If Teacher knew this was what he was experiencing, she would yell his ears off, rip him a new one and eat him alive. Not necessarily in that order. That fear of his trainer, even across worlds, motivated him.

After all, it had been ages since Ed's got a decent workout. Usually that wouldn't have been a problem, what with the Homunculus attacks, his covert investigations and Scar, among other activities, but being a professor in a magical castle that was protected from outside threats didn't offer similar opportunities. A paranoia of his skills getting rusty, along with the feelings of the aforementioned teacher, had Ed doing the most difficult and strenuous of exercises Izumi had forced onto them.

That was only one of the reasons. He was planning on sitting in on Transfiguration today, and had to get himself psyched up for it. Not that he was looking forward to it, quite the contrary. If he had to sit through an entire class talking about magic like it was fact, he had to physically and mentally prepare himself beforehand. _Train the body, train the mind_. He needed a ton of training for what was coming.

Ed went for a heavy breakfast after freshening up. He wasn't sure if it was bad to work out before or after eating heavily, but he'd only be seventy-percent as affect as other people, due to his missing limbs. _That's how anatomy works, right?_

He headed for the classroom Transfiguration was set to take place in, even before breakfast ended. Ed had every intention of snooping around, find out how other teachers were conducting their lessons, maybe stumble on the fact that this magic business is one massive, elaborate prank on him. Unfortunately, McGonagall was already in the room, going over sheets of paper, quill in hand, reading glasses resting near the tip of her nose.

"You're early, Professor Elric," Minerva noted, barely looking up from her desk.

"Yeah, well, I've got nothing better to do," he shrugged. "The quicker I get this 'magic' stuff the quicker I can get home." Ed tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Hmm. Well, despite your _noble_ intentions for learning, Professor, I must ask you to come back on Tuesday," she continued, not missing a beat from what she was doing.

"Why?" Ed asked indignantly.

"Because," she looked up, taking off her reading glasses, "my class today is a sixth-year class, and it is too advanced for anyone without prior knowledge and education in the subject. And, like I said before, I will not tolerate interruptions in my class, and that includes professors asking questions every thirty seconds on how Transfiguration is possible."

"Wha...?" Ed started, baffled and partially insulted. It was bad enough that her impression of him was a kid going around asking 'how' to everything, but to imply that it was too advanced for him? Please. "Then give me a crash course. I'm a quick learner. And I won't question the obvious impossibilities of magic. For now."

She scoffed. "As much as I would like to catch you up on five years of theories, practice and hard work in the next," she checked the clock, "fifteen minutes, I am afraid that I am far too busy to do so."

Ed groaned loudly in protest, drawing the ire of the other professor. The only way he would allow this to end is if McGonagall caved in, or he was dragged kicking and screaming from the class. "I could help," a girl's voice called from behind him. A familiar student stood in the doorway as Ed turned, slowly entering the room. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have listened in," she apologized.

"You're..." Ed mumbled, trying to place a name to the face. She was in his class, but she wasn't as active as some of the other students, so he didn't put effort into remembering her name.

"Miss Bell," McGonagall acknowledged. "If you want to teach Professor Edward years worth of classes in a day, I will not stop you." She returned to her work.

 _Katie Bell... that's right_... Ed remembered the name from the class register. "Thanks. Why are you doing this?" he asked her as they sat down in the back of the class.

Katie Bell looked dazed, experiencing Edward Elric's famous bluntness in full force. McGonagall rolled her eyes, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Uh, it's my pleasure to help a professor in need?" Katie answered, hesitantly. Ed just glared. "Okay, I'm was just curious on why or how you, a professor, doesn't know the basics of Transfiguration," she answered truthfully.

"That's all?" Ed skeptically questioned. No way a student would risk their grades just to learn something about one of their teachers.

"Well..." she glanced at McGonagall and lowered her voice, "I was hoping you could teach me how to shoot like you do."

It took a second for Ed to figure out what she was talking about. "What, that's it?" he reveled at the insignificance of her request. "You entering a chalk-flicking contest or something?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm a Chaser for Gryffindor's Quidditch team and I could really use some tips on Quaffle throwing."

That made completely no sense to Edward whatsoever. "Uh-huh. Okay, sure. Whatever. Can we start now?"

Katie peered at the clock. "Right, we should." She retrieved her notebook and quill and started writing. "Well, in our first year, we learned the Transfiguration alphabet and the equation to perform the spells-"

"Wait, you guys do actual math here?" Ed asked, surprised. "I thought it was all just wand waving and spell slinging."

"You've got a funny perspective on magic, Professor," she giggled.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not from around here," Ed dismissed, answering the question before it was even posed. "So, what do the variables stand for?"

"So to transfigure something successfully, you need a very precise amount of wand power combined with the caster's concentration divided by the weight and the viciousness of the intended transmutation before being multiplied by the inverse of the number of different entities in the final product," Katie recited. If they had looked up then, they would have seen McGonagall smiling ever so slightly.

Ed put his head in his hands. "And here I was beginning to think there was some logic in all this madness. Can I have that?" he added, pointing to the page.

"Yeah, of course." With a swift wave of her wand, the page detached itself neatly from the book and floated over to Edward.

He snatched it out of the air and stuffed it into his pocket. "Wand waving," he grumbled, unimpressed. "What else is there?"

Before Katie could answer, the doors swung open and a flood of students washed in. McGonagall stood up from her desk, preparing for the lesson proper. "We practiced more and more difficult spells over the years, like turning beetles to buttons or teapots to turtles," Katie said out of the corner of her mouth, waving to her friends.

"Wait, you practice turning inanimate objects into animals?" Ed stated, raising his voice.

McGonagall cleared her throat, and Ed noticed the students in the class staring at him. "Professor Elric. Class is about to start, if you don't mind." Students giggled.

Ed laid back, crossing his arms. "Whatever," he mumbled. Katie gave him a small apologetic look, before turning to focus on McGonagall's lesson. Something about shooting birds from their wands.

But Ed couldn't pay attention to her, with this new revelation. Creating life from objects? That was purely impossible, no matter how you looked at it. There wouldn't be enough raw materials in a teapot to transmute or transfigure it into a turtle, nor a beetle into a button, even if you didn't take the whole 'life' into account.

"Are there any rules or restrictions to your transfiguration?" Ed asked, as hushed as possible.

"Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," she responded, equally hushed. "There are five principal exceptions: no creating food out of thin air, no creating life or bringing back the dead-"

"Professor Elric!" McGonagall sternly called. Ed and Katie shot straight up. "If you are going to continue to disturb my students, I will have to ask you to leave." Ed sank back into his chair, shying away from the eyes in the room.

But this was good. No resurrection or making a fully fledged human out of a paper clip means there was a small anchor Ed could have in this world. He took out the piece of paper that Katie gave him. If there were laws governing the use of magic, that meant that the Transfiguration equation had to make some logical sense as well.

He left the 'wand power' variable alone. Whatever that was, it was for a later time. Maybe involving the dissection of one.

Ed figured out concentration pretty easily. It was like alchemy, focusing on the elements and materials and the shape the alchemist wanted it to take. Not focusing during the transmutation process could result in disaster, and the same went for transfiguration. He saw why this was dangerous to attempt, and that went even more for attention-lacking students.

Weight probably meant size. The bigger it was, the harder the transfiguration. That was easy.

Viciousness was a little more complex. Ed immediately thought that the more feral the creature or object, the more difficult it was to transmute, automatically leading him to dismiss it as another magical shenanigan. But, like Katie said, life couldn't be created out of nothing, so he tried to change his thinking.

 _Animals all have a natural response to stimuli_ , Ed thought. _Some are more docile, accepting of foreign substances or people. Some are more wary, cautious. Some are outright aggressive. And unlike the soul, animal or human, that gives someone or something personality, the decision to choose, their individuality, these responses are inbuilt to each species, like humans' natural fight-or-flight response. Transfiguration has to operate on this fact._

With that, Ed figured that the viciousness variable is not creating a soul for the object based on its natural personality, but in fact recreating the chemical reactions a newly born creature would have. No freedom to make choices, no capacity to form memories, a soulless husk of the real thing. No resulting life or soul. He was satisfied with that theory.

Number of different entities. Limbs, perhaps? Organs? The different parts that made up the object? That would sort of make sense, with the students transfiguring larger and larger creatures and objects as they moved up each year. It would also explain why the transfigurations seemed limited to normal creatures that Ed was familiar with. He barely could imagine creating something like a fire-breathing dog or dragon. He couldn't even think of how the element of fire would fit under-

 _Wait. Elements. If transfiguration and alchemy are more similar compared to the other forms of magic_... Ed looked around the room. Students were no longer just quietly listening. They all had their wands out, pointed to the sky and muttering the same word over and over again, with looks of frustration as nothing was happening. McGonagall had stopped teaching theories, and was going around the room, inspecting and correcting each student in their technique. "Hey, Katie, the hell is going on?" he whispered.

She looked away from the ceiling, and lowered her wand. "We're trying to perform the Bird-Conjuring charm right now. _Avis_!" she said again, and scrunched her face in frustration. Nothing.

 _Okay, calm down. Not real birds. Just imitations_. "No luck?"

"Nope. I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she complained. Looking around at the others, it seemed like no one else did either.

 _Perfect_. "Right, you know that formula you learned in your first year?"

" _Avis_! Damn it! Yeah, of course."

"Well, why don't you try..." Ed trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain it. "Gimme your quill." He snatched the writing feather from Katie's desk, scribbled down his own substitutions for the viciousness and weight, using a random, small bird as the base. The number of entities that he wrote down, however, was specific, using the number of different chemical elements in the bird that he had in mind. Wand power and concentration he left to Katie. She was the caster after all. "Here, try this."

Katie scrunched her face, staring at the formula Ed passed to her. "What's this?"

"Just try it."

"You know that if its performed improperly it can have-" Katie started to protest.

"Devastating effects, I know. Alchemy is the same. Now do it," Ed goaded. Many students were looking their direction again, and McGonagall stared on with a frown.

Katie scanned her spectators, and sighed. " _Avis_ ," she half-mumbled. There was a slight pop and wheezing noise as a lone, blue feather shot out of Katie's wand. Surprise was the prime expression in the room. No one had even come close.

Ed pumped his fist victoriously. He was on the right track. Magic and science are more similar than people gave credit for. The rest of the students redoubled their efforts to pull off at least a feather. "I am a genius," Ed smirked, leaning back, hands behind his head.

" _Avis_ ," Katie recited. Pop, wheeze, feathers. " _Avis_!" Pop, wheeze, more feathers. "What am I doing wrong?" she muttered. "Professor?" Katie asked, looking to Ed.

He shrugged. "Don't look at me. I gave you more than enough help already. You need to help yourself now." He tapped the desk, standing up. "I'm done here. Thanks, old lady," he waved McGonagall goodbye, kicking open the door out of the class.

Ed hasn't felt this at peace for a long time. Now that he's got a grip on this magic business, he felt the weight of the burden of ignorance lifted slightly from his shoulders.

He passed the knight painting again. "I'm on to your shit, bucket head!"

* * *

"P-Please..." the man known as Deacon begged. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Your pathetic whimpering does not change the face that you let _two alchemists escape_!" Xander roared. The man flicked his wand, and Deacon become a screaming mess in the chair he was strapped to, writhing in futility. "And I have only one use for incompetent fools like yourself."

"N-no, please... anything but that..." Deacon begged between gasps and twitches.

"Silence!" Xander commanded, and flicked his wand again.

Deacon's screams echoed throughout the house. Then, it stopped. His eyes shot open, pupils a ghostly white, staring directly at Xander. His mouth opened, though it was not his voice that came out. "Report," said a cold, dark voice.

"The plan is going according to schedule, my Lord."

"Excellent," the voice hissed, although he sounded like he expected nothing less.

"Unfortunately, another of this world's alchemists have slipped through," Xander said, lowering his head.

"I have already been informed of that fact."

"As expected of my Lord. I assure you, those responsible for this mistake have already been severely punished."

A long menacing breath escaped possessed-Deacon's mouth. "You have disappointed me, Xander."

"My sincerest apologies," Xander said, bowing deeply.

"However, these... setbacks may yet have a purpose to serve." The voice paused, and Xander could hear Deacon struggling to breathe and failing. "I will overlook these transgressions. This time."

"I am not deserving, my Lord," Xander thanked.

"There will not be a second."

"Yes, of course, my Lord. No more mistakes."

"Continue with the preparations. And dispose of the vessel."

With that, the ghostly look over Deacon's eyes vanished, leaving the man to gasp for air, retching in the process. He looked up at Xander. "W-W-What was... I-I saw... Please..." he begged, a blubbering mess.

Xander merely pointed his wand at the man. " _Avada Kedavra_."


	11. When the Mood(y) is Right

The weekend passed uneventfully for Edward Elric. His lesson on Saturday was mainly spent teaching the final two steps of transmutation, along with the concept of the transmutation circle and the symbols used in them, though he suspected most of his students merely copied them down without understanding them.

In spite of that, Ed had to reevaluate his expectations of his class. Of the thirty or so students, ten had submitted reports that Ed considered to be marginally acceptable for non-alchemists, which was ten more than he expected. Those that performed were students like Hermione, who he was becoming more impressed with each lesson, Luna, both Patils and, surprisingly enough, Draco Malfoy. He dreaded to think what kind of alchemist the arrogant kid would become.

However, that was an issue to tackle in the very distant future, possibly not even by Edward, and was the least of his worries. Umbridge had been suspiciously missing, again, for the whole weekend. Someone as... unhinged as her does not just disappear for no reason.

Ed's bad feeling was justified come Monday morning. Pinned to the large notice board outside of the Great Hall seemed to be an unfurled section of newspaper, with a crowd of students gathering around it.

Squeezing his way to the front, roughly shoving the taller kids to the side, Ed managed to get a good look at the featured article.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"

"The hell?" Ed mumbled, before speed-reading through the whole thing. "Blah, blah, blah... Umbridge... pfft, immediate success my ass... 'High Inquisitor'... powers to inspect teachers... Oh shit."

After a quick breakfast, Ed returned to his classroom and dug out a pink envelope he had thrown into the trash without a second thought. Breaking open the immaculate red seal on it, he retrieved the letter enclosed and read it.

"In accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty Three, you, Professor Edward Elric, are hereby informed of the inspection of your class to be carried out on the 8 of September at 3:00 by the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge." Ed scoffed. "She's so damn full of herself."

Ed couldn't help but laugh when he thought about the situation. _This_ was what he was worried about? An inspection? He had gone through so many of those already, just to keep his State Alchemist license. One for a teacher at a school could not be any more difficult.

So when Ed's students arrived, plus one pink toad-like human, he wore a confident smirk on his face. "Right," Ed began once everyone was seated, "on your desks are the reports you submitted last lesson. If you have a cross on your cover page, it means your submission is terrible, and you're not allowed to take notes today. You're gonna spent this time revising your essays and submit an improved version by the end of today." Umbridge frowned, scribbling on her clipboard.

"For those of you who passed, you'll design a transmutation circle based on the material or element you have written about using what you learned last lesson. Just this one time, I've listed the symbols you might need for your circle," he pointed to the board, "but I expect _all_ of you to be able to remember this next time. Or at least have your own notes.

"No two circles will be the same, depending on the substances used and the intended outcome, so don't try to copy another's work. I'll know, and you'll get detention," Ed finished, and waved for the ten students to start. They got to work immediately, referencing their essays and notes, along with those on the blackboard.

Umbridge scribbled a little more on her clipboard, before she stood and approached Ed. "I must say, I am surprised to see students of different years in your class, Professor. It is quite out of the ordinary."

"What's your point?" he replied, crudely.

"I am unsure if the mingling of the years is appropriate, and I think that the Ministry would agree."

"I don't care what your Ministry agrees on," Ed said. "If people want to learn, their age shouldn't be a restriction."

"Hmm." Umbridge's lips pressed together tightly, though she continued to be cordial. "Where did you study?"

"Home-schooled."

"Oh? And where are you from?"

"Not here."

Her lips tightened even more as she wrote on her clipboard. "Do you have any prior teaching qualifications?"

"No."

Her brow twitched ever so slightly. "And what was your profession before becoming a teacher at Hogwarts?"

Ed almost told her he was a State Alchemist. When he stopped himself, he saw her eyes widened slightly in anticipation. He scoffed inwardly. "And what's that got to do with anything?"

"The Ministry would like to understand the backgrounds of teachers, just to see if they are suitable to for an educational position."

Ed smirked. They wanted to know who he really was, for whatever purpose. Now that he knew Umbridge's agenda, he was hell-bent on not giving her what she wanted. "Independent researcher," he simply stated.

Her eyes returned to their natural state; fake kindness. "And what were you researching?"

"Alchemy."

"Do you personally know of any others who are practitioners of the same art?"

 _Yeah. Mustang, Armstrong, Al, Teacher._ "Nope."

She gave Ed a suspicious look. "Are you sure? Might I remind you that providing false information to the Ministry is a punishable offense."

What the hell? "Yeah, I'm sure," Ed said, sticking to his lie.

"Hmm," was all Umbridge said, before going around to talk to the students.

 _Where did that come from?_ Ed thought. It was like she had evidence, or at least heavily suspected, that there were other alchemists like him in this world. Or was the Ministry just paranoid that Ed was secretly hiding an army of alchemists plotting to overthrow them?

Ed walked around the room, avoiding Umbridge, as he inspected their work-in-progress. Most of them had chosen wood or stone to work with, which made Luna and Draco stand out, since they had chosen air and water, respectively.

Luna's one seemed to be focused on the manipulation of the speed and density of the air, probably to create shock waves or strong air currents. Her circle though, absolutely baffled Edward. It was not a conventional design and, though Ed couldn't find life threatening faults within it, he thought it could use a lot more work. It did fit her personality, though.

Draco's one didn't look anything like the one Isaac McDougal used, so it probably did not have to do with freezing or boiling. The circle was still extremely bare, so Ed couldn't really deduce what the Malfoy kid was going for.

Hermione chose wood, and attempted a very basic transmutation circle, with the end purpose of creating simple figures and statues. Still, there were problems with her design, the most glaring one being that it was far too complicated for such a simple purpose, like she just applied all the theory without thinking of its practicality.

Umbridge, at this point, decided that she was done interviewing the students in the room, and approached Edward once again. "I notice that you are not assigning the same homework to the students."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It would seem as though your syllabus does not have a concrete structure behind it, and I don't think the Ministry would approve of it."

 _Here we go with the Ministry again_. "The basics of alchemy are the same, but it's natural for an alchemist to specialize in one form that they are the most familiar with, since it's the one they would understand the most. Or so I've read," he quickly added. "So having them specialize in something of their choosing helps them to understand the concepts better, while allowing them to advance to practical alchemy faster. You get that, or do I need to put it in simpler terms?"

"No," Umbridge said sweetly, "it's quite alright. And what is your specialization?"

"Earth and metals," he responded. "Is this going somewhere?"

Her smile became wider. "Yes, it is. If your specialty is earth, what makes you qualified to teach these students who are working with other substances, as you put it?"

Ed paused, shocked by the question. Some students looked up when Ed failed to answer immediately, and noted his stunned silence. He quickly regained his composure, however. "Like I said, I was home-schooled. I experimented with everything before I found my niche. I'm more of a generalist than the other alchemists I read about."

"Hmm," Umbridge said again, her face unreadable.

The rest of the lesson passed quickly, as Umbridge decided that enough questions had been asked, and was content observing from the sidelines. Ed only corrected the mistakes that would cause a major rebound, but otherwise left them to their own devices. The bell rang soon enough, and they were made to hand in either their circles or their reports, whichever they were made to do.

"You will receive the results of your inspection in a week's time," Umbridge told Ed over the fuss of students packing up.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered, and she strolled out of the class, humming a tune. The Golden Trio stayed behind, wanting to talk with Edward proper. He was the only teacher they could really talk to like he was a peer.

"That was..." Hermione muttered.

"Intense!" Ron completed. "She really has it out for you, eh, Ed?"

"I couldn't care less," Ed shrugged. In an effort to chase them away, he asked, "Don't you have other classes?"

"Nope, yours was the last for today," Ron said, cheerfully. "Though Harry has detention soon."

Ed looked at Harry, who promptly averted his gaze. "Can't keep your ass out of trouble, huh? Who with?"

"Umbridge," Hermione answered for him, disapprovingly.

"Typical," Ed chuckled. "What'd she make you do?"

"Nothing," Harry said, interrupting Ron and Hermione.

Ed looked at the other two for an explanation, but they just shrugged. "C'mon. It can't be that bad."

"Not that bad?" Harry's temper started to flare, making Ron and Hermione flinch. He raised the back of his left hand, showing the line ' _I must not tell lies_ ' etched into the skin. "See what she did to me?!"

Ed was not impressed. "So what? You got a little scratch on your hand, boo hoo. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"What's the big deal? You're not the one who has to deal with this every night!" Harry yelled, letting his frustrations take over. "You don't have to suffer through this, so don't you dare ask what's the big deal!"

"Don't, mate..." Ron warned his friend.

"You stay out of it!" Harry roared. Ron winced and backed away. He faced Ed again. "All I did was tell the truth, and you're telling me I shouldn't? What do you know?!"

"Come on, let's go..." Hermione urged, tugging on Harry's sleeve, not wanting a repeat of this situation, but Harry just shrugged her off.

Ed clenched his fist. He wanted to smack some sense into this kid so badly. "It's hilarious that you think you're entitled to shit just because you got on some guy's bad side," he said with a one-sided grin, devoid of any joy.

"What?" Harry asked, incredulous.

"So you didn't have a choice in your situation. So you didn't ask for this. It just means that you don't have a mistake haunting your every move, dumbass!" Ed blurted out.

"What are you talking about?"

Before he knew it, Ed ripped off his right glove. "I'm talking about this!"

Harry stared, Ron gawked, and Hermione brought a hand to her mouth as they saw metal where there should be flesh. Ed immediately regretted his actions. He had meant to keep his automail a secret from everyone, but it was out there now.

"I... have to go..." Harry mumbled, looking at the clock, leaving the room.

Ed plopped down on the seat, placing the cold metal against his face, sighing. "Don't tell anyone," he requested, not looking up. Ed did not need the entire school asking questions, with wild rumors circulating because of his refusal to answer questions. If these three could keep a secret...

"We won't, we promise. Don't we, Ron?" Hermione nudged the Weasley with her elbow.

He was too busy staring, though. "How high does that go?"

"Ron!"

"What? I mean, he showed us, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"To the shoulder," Ed announced, stopping their argument. He figured since it was out there, better to answer their questions than to speculate. Since he was in it now, might as well go all in. He slipped off his red overcoat, pulled aside his inner collar and showed the metal meeting flesh.

"Whoa... wicked!" Ron gasped, amazed. "Is that magic?"

"Don't be silly, Ron. Magic doesn't exist where Ed's from," she corrected. In spite of her manners, she looked at his arm curiously. "How _does_ it work, though?"

"It's connected to my nerves, so it functions mostly like a normal arm." The duo looked apprehensive at asking him more, so Ed said, "Might as well ask everything you want now." Hermione and Ron looked at each other, silently debating. "C'mon, I wanna eat soon."

Hermione was the first to take him up on the offer. "Doesn't something like that need a power source, like a battery?"

"I thought electricity doesn't work in Hogwarts?" Ron asked. Hermione and Ed both looked at him, puzzled. "What? My dad's into Muggle stuff, okay?"

"My automail doesn't run on electricity. Like I said before, it works like a real arm. Just with more metal, wires and gears than one."

"Does it hurt?" was the next question Hermione asked.

"Not right now."

"'Right now'? You mean it does hurt?"

"Sometimes. When it's being attached, it hurts like hell. When it rains too, just not as bad," he explained. Hermione winced, imagining what it must have felt like.

"Can it do any cool stuff?" Ron asked. "Like shooting your fist or something?"

"I wish," Ed snickered. "It's built to be a normal arm. But when I need it, I can do this." He rolled up his sleeve and used alchemy to create his signature blade.

"Whoa," was all Ron could say in response, as Ed returned his arm to normal.

"How did you lose it?" Hermione asked. "Your original arm, I mean."

There it was. The million dollar question. Every nerve and neuron in his brain told him to lie. _It would be so easy. Lost it in a war. Say it._

"Accident."

"What kind?" Ron asked. "Like a car or-"

"Alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Ron repeated. "You mean like a... what was it..."

"Rebound," Hermione finished.

Ed nodded solemnly. "The worst kind. We tried to bring our mother back to life."

"We? Oh..." she realized.

"Yeah. Human Transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. But we did it anyway, and we paid the price."

"Did it work?" Ron asked.

"Of course not. A departed soul can never return." Ed closed his automail hand. "No matter how much you want it to."

"That's what you meant when you talked about a haunting mistake..." Hermione said.

"Yeah. A constant reminder of what I tried to do that day." Edward paused, waiting for another question, but none came. They seemed content, or at least unwilling to bring up more bad memories for Ed. "That's it?" The two of them nodded. "Well, that was easier than I thought."

"Really? You're not angry or anything?" Hermione asked.

"Nope. I actually feel slightly better, for some reason. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Ron tried to say with a grin. "Now come on, let's go eat."

"You two go ahead. I'll catch up," Ed waved for them to go ahead. He took his time, dressing and hiding his automail again. A smile crept onto his face. Some people here were just too kind for Ed, not that he was complaining. They would definitely be more Al's type.

* * *

Al had lost track of time, just sitting in the safe house, unmoving. Without any books to keep him company, or his brother's light snores beside him, time seemed to drag on forever. He focused on any sound that he could hear, waiting. The ticking of the clock, the occasional drip of the sink, the low hum of the fridge. Anything to keep his mind tethered to his body.

Finally, the sound of stone scraping caught his attention. Al looked up, hoping to see Tonks bringing his brother to him. As footsteps got louder, he was disappointed. It sounded like only one pair of feet, slowly descending. "Miss Tonks?" Al called out, before she appeared in view.

"No," a gruff voice echoed into the room.

Al got up at lightning speed, entering a fighting stance. "Who's there?"

A man appeared in the doorway, aided by a walking stick. He had a grizzled look, a frown on his face, and a bulging eye that moved on its own accord. "Put your arms down, boy. You look ridiculous," he grunted, sitting down on one of the chairs. He seemed relaxed, like he knew Al was not going to attack.

"Who are you?" Al asked, his arms still kept at the ready.

"The name's Alastor Moody. I said put them down, boy," he commanded again. "Nymphadora told me about you hiding out here."

"Nymphadora?"

Moody grunted. "She probably told you to call her Tonks."

"Oh." Al let his arms drop to his side. "Is Miss Tonks all right?"

"She's fine," he grunted again. "She drew a lot of suspicion disappearing like that trying to help you, so she has to lay low for a while."

"Aw..." he mumbled, dejected. Tonks was a friendly face that Al was looking forward to seeing.

"Quite a stunt you pulled," Moody remarked. "Your attack on the Ministry has them in a major panic."

"Attack?" Al echoed, shocked. "But I never- It was a- They attacked me first!"

"Calm down, kid," Moody uncharacteristically chuckled. It sounded like a woodchipper. "I'm actually impressed. Not every day someone makes Cornelius panic like you did."

"Cornelius?"

"The Minister," he hand-waved the explanation. "Tell me, boy, how do you know English?"

"Huh? What?"

"English, boy, how do you speak it?" Moody asked. When Al continued to be silent, he sighed. "Your brother didn't know a lick of it when he first arrived."

"Brother?" Al said. "Please, I want to go-"

But Moody held up a hand, stopping him. "Answer the questions first, then I'll decide."

"You'll-" Al started to protest, but Moody stopped him once again.

"Questions," he insisted gruffly.

Al paused, unwillingly agreeing to this man's terms. He tried to remember the moment he spoke to the man in the elevator, that feeling of suddenly understanding this 'English', and then being able to speak it fluently. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

Moody shook his head. "No. Try again."

"But I really don't know!" Al complained.

"Then _think_ , boy!" Moody raised his voice. "Use that head of yours and think!"

Al racked his mind trying to think, but it was hard with the pressure Moody was forcing onto him. _How could I have knowledge on something I don't- Oh._

Moody seemed to notice, his bulging eye locking onto Al's helmet. "You got something. What is it?"

"It's nothing," Al replied. It all clicked in his mind. The reason he knew English before Ed did was because-

"It's got something to do with your body, doesn't it?" Moody asked.

"What?" Al gasped. "How do you know?"

"I can see through you," he growled, tapping near his special eye. "You're also not a very good liar. That, and your runt of a brother told me a little."

"He did?" Ed was not one to talk about their past, so Al was surprised when Moody said he was told by the older Elric.

"I don't like repeating myself," Moody confirmed.

"Right," Al said.

"So tell me. About how you know."

Al mentally exhaled, hushing his nerves. "When my body was... taken as punishment, knowledge was drilled into my head, sort of as an exchange for what I gave up. I think this language must have been part of that."

"Then why did your brother not know?"

"It's because I paid a bigger toll..."

Moody exhaled quietly. He stood up. "Seems real enough."

"I'm sorry?" Al asked, confused. "What's real?" steps. "You coming, boy?"

Al perked up at hearing that. "Are we-"

"Yes, yes," Moody growled, already in the tunnel. "But first we need to catch a bus."

* * *

 **Afterword** : IT'S HAPPENING! -flails-

Also, I'd like to thank everyone who left and is going to leave a review. And even if reviews aren't your thing, I still appreciate all you lurkers out there. I'm still on the fence on whether to reply to reviews in a chapter since I don't trust myself to not spoil stuff, so for now I'll keep my mouth shut. :D


	12. Reunion

**Author's note:** * _screaming*_

* * *

"What's a 'bus'?"

"You don't have buses where you're from?" Moody asked, still ascending the steps.

"Is that a kind of insect? Or cat?" Al speculated, excited at the thought of playing with it.

Moody just chuckled again. Al vowed to not make him do something that disturbing from this point forward. "You'll see soon enough." He pulled out his wand and waved it when they reached the top of the stairs, revealing the exit. The lighting was dim, the sky a faded blue. "Stay here," Moody ordered, before stepping out onto the curb and sticking his wand out.

A loud honking blasted throughout the street, even reverberating into the darkness below Al. A large blue vehicle the height of a small building sped around the corner, coming to an abrupt stop right in front of Moody. With the Knight Bus now directly in front of the hideout, Moody waved Al to come up. The armored alchemist complied, and the brick wall sealed itself behind him.

A man, dressed almost like a train conductor, stood at the small entrance to the bus. He retrieved a piece of paper and read it aloud, monotone. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening."

"Do you have to blabber that every time you stop?" Moody growled, getting on the bus.

"Nice to see you again, Mad-Eye," Stan greeted, now with more color in his voice. "What's an Auror like yourself taking the bus?"

"It's not for me. It's for the kid," Moody answered, and went to stand at one end of the bus.

"The kid?" Stan tried to peer behind Al, looking for a small child hiding out of shyness.

"I think he's talking about me," Al said, raising his hand as a greeting.

"Huh." Stan gave him a twice over. "Well, come on, then, we don't got all day."

"Right, sorry," Al apologized, and stepped up onto the bus It tilted slightly, groaning under the weight of the suit of armor. "Sorry," he whispered again, before squeezing himself into the bus. It obviously was not built to accommodate someone of his size, forcing Al to hunch over and slide sideways, scraping the frame of the door.

The bus had no seats, but instead was furnished with beds perpendicular to the layout of the bus itself, with a massive chandelier hanging in the middle, visible from all three levels. Al could not help but marvel at the grandiose design of this world's automobiles. He sat tentatively on a bed, testing its weight. When it stayed firm, despite loud creaks from the springs and wood supporting it, Al rested his full weight on the bed.

"So, where to?" Stan asked, moving closer to the front of the bus.

"Hogwarts," Moody replied.

"Righto! Take 'er away, Ernie!" Stan yelled, knocking on the glass.

The old man behind the wheel jolted awake, pulled some levers and floored it. Al screamed as the Knight Bus rocketed off at breakneck speeds, rolling the beds to the back of the bus. Stan and Moody just stood there, unaffected.

"Ministry business at Hogwarts, eh, Mad-Eye?" Stan asked.

"No, you buffoon. I already said it's for the kid."

"Him?" Stan pointed at the hulking suit of armor, looking around in panic as the bus swerved recklessly left and right. "He's a little big to be a student, ain't he, Ernie?" The old man kept quiet, focusing his goggled eyes on driving.

"Why don't you keep your thoughts to yourself," Moody grumbled, walking over to Al.

"Righto!" Stan said, pulling out a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Wouldn't want to get on the ol' Mad-Eye's bad side, would we, Erine?"

On reaching the rolling beds, Moody tapped the one Al was sitting on with his staff, and it halted its movements, as if fused to the bus. "Stop that, boy. You're making a fool of yourself."

Al was still subjected to the bus's movements, and held on the the bed as an anchor. "It's just... do all your vehicles move like this?"

"No," was all Moody offered. "Did Nymphadora tell you about the situation at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, she did." _Wow, he really doesn't beat around the bush..._ "Something about the Ministry having someone there?"

"Correct, but there's more to it than that. Cornelius thinks that Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts," Moody added for Al's sake, "is trying to go after his job. So he sent his lackey to keep an eye on Dumbledore, along with making sure that the students aren't being trained to become an army."

"Are they, though?"

"Of course not!" Moody reprimanded without hesitation. "Fudge is just being paranoid. But you know what this means, don't you?"

"Mmhmm," Al nodded. "It means that the Ministry person at Hogwarts might be on the lookout for me."

"That's right. So you know how risky this operation is," Moody said, with Al indicating his understanding. "Good. Fortunately for you, there are a few factors that work in your favor."

"Really? What are they?" Al asked, perking up. Any good news at this point was a welcome change over all the bad that has been building up.

"Firstly, the Ministry thinks you're a Death Eater; a wizard who works for a very evil dark wizard."

"That doesn't sound like good news."

"No, it's not. But this means that they won't expect you to be at Hogwarts, which gives you an element of surprise. Next, they don't have a clear picture of what you look like. All they know is that you're just a suit of armor, but the details are sketchy. That makes disguising your true identity easier."

"Disguising me? How? I'm pretty hard to hide, if you haven't noticed," Al told him.

"You are not going to be hiding. You're going to pretend you're just an enchanted suit of armor. Shouldn't be too hard, given your circumstance," Moody briefed.

"So I have to pretend like I'm not me?" Al questioned, getting angry.

"Only when unfavorable eyes can see you. Now control your temper, boy," he hissed.

Al leaned back slightly, trying to think of happier thoughts. Moody was right. Even though Al did not like it, the plan made sense. "Does my brother know?"

"No."

"What? How could you not tell him?" Al exclaimed, shocked.

"The less people know about you, the better. Lesser chances for the Ministry to find out your whereabouts and your connection to your brother," Moody reasoned.

"But-" Al wanted to argue.

"Can you say for certain that your brother won't make a big fuss out of it? That he would stay there until you went to him?"

Al stayed silent. The brother he knew would have torn down half the city looking for him, and then he would pick a fight with every single wizard, whether they knew about Al or not.

"There's your answer."

Despite his outburst, Al calmed down rather quickly after understanding Moody's logic. Lesser people equals lesser potential threats. Al had a revelation. Speaking of threats... "Mister Moody, do you know anything about wizards dressed in black wearing scary white masks?"

"Those sound like Death Eaters. Why?"

"Those men were in my world as well, and I think they were the ones who got my brother sent here."

"What?!" Moody barked. "If Death Eaters are in your world... that means Voldemort's plan is bigger than we expected..."

"Voldemort?" Al asked.

Moody stared at Al, his brows furrowed. Finally, he said, "If your world's being threatened, you should have the right to know. Fine. We have to start at the beginning..."

* * *

The Knight Bus finally came to a stop, outside a massive castle hidden in the very outskirts of the country, illuminated only by the large moon hovering in the sky. Al stumbled out, uneasy from the extremely bumpy ride.

"Thank you for riding the Knight Bus, please come again soon," Stan mumbled, reading from a card.

"Thanks, Mister Moody!" Al waved.

"Don't mention it, boy. Seriously, don't. And be careful," Moody grunted. With that, the Knight Bus sped off at high speeds, fading into the distance, leaving Al on the steps of what was supposed to be Hogwarts School of something relating to magic.

"Whoa..." Al turned to look at the full glory of the castle towering over him. Suddenly, he felt jealously towards his brother. Was he really here all this while?

"Ahem," a voice came from the top of the steps. An elderly woman dressed in green robes stood there, waiting. She seemed minuscule compared to the rest of the massive castle. "You must be Alphonse Elric, correct?"

"Ah, yes!" Al replied, unconsciously standing at attention. The way this woman carried herself reminded him of Lieutenant Hawkeye, and Al's instinct kicked in. "That's me."

"Please come with me." She seemed slightly irritated as she turned and walked away.

"Right!" Al called, and hurriedly chased after her, causing a large racket in the process.

McGonagall's eyes twitched. "Could you possibly make any more noise?"

"Sorry!" Al whispered, and tried to minimize the clanking of metal he usually made. They continued to walk in silence for a while longer, before he couldn't take it anymore. "Excuse me, but what's your name?"

"McGonagall."

"Miss McGonagall, did I do something wrong?"

The woman sighed. "No, _you_ didn't. Alastor could have given us more than a few minutes of notice. And your arrival in the middle of the night doesn't help."

"Right... Sorry for the inconvenience..."

McGonagall's expression softened. "No, it seems like I am the one who must apologize for taking out my temper on you. The situation here at Hogwarts has been less than ideal lately, what with the Ministry appointing Umbridge here, and I just assumed that you and your brother were similar. I was wrong."

"My brother?" Al asked, though he felt like he already knew the answer.

"Rebellious, hot-headed, loud-mouthed. You, however, are cut from a different cloth."

"Thanks..." Al wanted to blush. "Did Mister Moody tell you anything about me?"

"Only that you are Edward's brother, and that you made quite a mess at the Ministry when you arrived. Why, is there anything else I should know?" McGonagall glanced at him suspiciously through the corner of her eye.

"No, no! Nothing else!" Al vigorously denied, waving his hands. "But aren't you angry with what I did? To the Ministry?"

"Hardly. Most of us here, though we respect it, are not very supportive of the Ministry, especially with what they are doing here." A small hint of a smile appeared on her face.

"Why? What are they doing?"

"Perhaps your brother could tell you more about it," she offered, and came to a stop, knocking on a set of double doors. "I'll leave you two to it, then."

* * *

Edward spent most of his nights working on a way to get home. Tonight was no different. He noted that, though the overall structure was the same, the students' transmutation circles had subtle differences compared to the ones he'd seen at home, for the most part. Small changes in the way they looked at energy and manipulated them.

It was during one of these analyses that he was interrupted by a knock at the door. Ed glanced at the clock, and noted that it was slightly past midnight. "God, who the hell is it at this time?" he yelled, not getting up from his chair. The door swung open.

 _No way. No fucking way_. A familiar blue suit of armor stood in the doorway. One with glowing red eye sockets. It stood there, motionless, staring at him, while he returned the sentiment, incapable of forming words. Ed blinked repeatedly, convinced that this was a trick of his tired eyes.

"B-Brother...?" an oh-so-familiar timid voice came, sounding eerily metallic, speaking a language that Ed had almost forgotten. The suit of armor took one step forward.

 _No_ fucking _way._ Ed raised a shaky hand, reaching out for the figure standing before him. He managed to find his voice, though it was trembling hard, saying, "Al...?"

"Brother?" the voice came again, this time trembling as well.

"Alphonse...!" Ed said, trying to convince his brain of what he was seeing.

"Brother!"

It finally clicked. "ALPHONSE!" Ed vaulted over his desk, sprinting towards the armored soul, the mass of papers sent flying already forgotten.

"BROTHER!" Al cried out, and rushed forward as well.

The two Elrics crashed in the middle of the room, and Al lifted Ed in a massive hug. Ed relished in the feeling of the familiar cool metal as Al nuzzled him. _This is really happening..._

"Brother!" Al whimpered. "I was so worried for you! I thought something terrible had happened when you didn't come back!"

"Al..." Ed croaked weakly, his emotions hitting him like a truck.

"Everyone spent all their time looking for you! Even Colonel Mustang didn't sleep," Al continued, still rubbing his helmet against Edward's face.

"Al..." the older Elric repeated, trying to get his attention.

"Winry almost wanted to come down and look for you herself when she heard the news!"

"Al...!"

"What is it, brother?" Al looked at Ed, his red eyes glowing with excitement.

"Air... Can't... breathe... " Ed wheezed.

"Oh!" Al exclaimed, letting go of Ed.

He gasped for air, hands on his knees, while Al fussed over potentially injuring him. When Ed felt like he had recovered enough, he gave Al an embrace of his own. "Damn it, Al. I've missed you..."

The younger Elric returned the gesture, much more gently this time, and patted Ed on the back. "Me too, brother."

They stayed like that for a short while, until Ed tapped Al on the body lightly, and they ended their long awaited hug together. "When? How? Where?" Ed asked.

"Two days after you were gone. I went looking for you, and found the base of the people who took you. Then I accidentally activated something and ended up in this world."

"Wait, so you've been here for over a month?" Ed asked, incredulous.

"What? No!" Al insisted. "I only got here like, less than a week ago."

"Al, I've been here for about a month." The two stood in silence at the information. Then Ed shook his head, and the biggest smile came back on his face. "We'll deal with that later. What happened next?"

"Then I ended up in the Ministry of Magic, apparently, and I had to fight my way out," Al recalled.

"Hope you kicked some ass before getting out of there," Ed grinned.

"Then a nice woman helped me out and hid me somewhere the Ministry wouldn't find me. She was so nice..." Al sighed dreamily.

"Sounds like someone has a crush," Ed said as his eyes narrowed, smile turning mischievous.

"Stop it, brother," Al told him, and Ed grinned even more. He missed moments like these. "Then I waited for a few days, and this man with a crazy eye came, picked me up, and here I am!"

"Moody? He wouldn't happened to have done that thing with his eye, right?"

"Yeah, he did," Al confirmed, and a shudder went through his body.

"Did the same thing with my automail. Wait," Ed said, realizing something. "How did you learn English?"

"I didn't. It was given to me through the Gate," Al answered.

"Wow. You got lucky, Al. I didn't know any when I first arrived."

"Yeah, I know, Mister Moody told me. Now it's your turn, brother! Tell me your story!" Al asked, sitting down on the floor with a loud clank.

Ed chuckled. "Alright," he said, sitting down too. "The circle didn't send me into the Ministry, but into this house where some wizards were staying. I didn't know who they were, and I didn't speak any English, so I almost took of this guy's arm.

"But this girl convinced me that they were not threats, and I found out that English and Amestrian are written exactly the same, so she offered to teach me how to speak their language."

"Was she pretty?" Al asked, a smile in his voice.

"I guess she's alright," Ed replied, looking away and rubbing under his nose. "Shut up, Al. Then this old man and woman came to me, saying that they knew about our world, because Flamel came from our world as well. They had some of his notes, so as Equivalent Exchange, I agreed to teach alchemy here." Al burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Ed demanded.

"You, teaching?" Al said between laughs. "Have you killed anyone yet?" he asked, before continuing his laughter.

"Hey, I'm the best teacher here, okay?" Ed embellished. Al laughed even more. "Just... shut it, Al," Ed growled. He stood up, and headed towards the door. "Come on, Al."

Al had a few more bouts of laughter before he calmed down enough to ask, "Where are we going?"

"Don't you want to see the rest of this place?" Ed invited, holding the doors open.

"But it's so late!" Al protested, thinking of his brother before his own interest. "You need to sleep, brother."

"Pffft. I just got my brother back, sleep's the last thing I need now."

"No," Al stood his ground. "I'm not going, so you might as well sleep."

Ed took one long glare at Al, trying to make him change his mind with sheer willpower. When that didn't work, he sighed, shoulders drooping. "Fine. Tomorrow then."

Al nodded, happy. Ed shuffled into his bedroom, ignoring the paper mess he'd made, and Al followed suit. "Is that...?" Al asked, pointing to the shelf of leather bound books.

"Yup," Ed acknowledged as he stripped down to his undershirt and boxers. "Flamel's notes. Go ahead," he said, jumping onto his bed.

Al flipped through one book as Ed laid his head on the pillow. "This is encoded... with Amestrian terms!" Al noted, thrilled.

"Mmhmm. Knock yourself out." Ed stared at the ceiling, drifting within his own thoughts. "I still can't believe you're here," he murmured.

"Neither can I."

"Night, Al."

"Good night, brother."


	13. The Cat Hates the Bag

**Author's foreword** : I'M BACK. Please don't kill me for the three month-ish unannounced break. Most of it I'll explain by saying life threw a few wrenches (read: the entire toolbox) my way. Next, I've enlisted (also read: conscripted) into the army, so I'll only have the weekends free to write now. But hopefully this would mean I won't burn out easily, with the weekdays occupied with training A.K.A no more 3 month long hiatus. :D

With all that said, please enjoy the hell out of this chapter!

* * *

Edward exhaled audibly, the sound muffled slightly by the ringing that filled the room. "I'd better see some improvement next time," he announced, once the bell stopped tolling. Only a few students murmured a response; the others shuffled quickly out of the class, rubbing remnants of chalk dust off their faces and their heads. Ed grumbled, cursing their stupidity and their attitude, but said and did nothing else.

Since the last alchemy lesson, his students have actually gotten worse at alchemy, with poorly drawn circles and terrible usage of symbols and runes. He'd wager that most of their circles, if activated, would have blown up their desks in a spectacular demonstration of destruction, at the very least. He was especially disappointed with Hermione and Luna, who he thought were among the shining gems in the class. They made as much progress as the rest of the class.

"They've got other lessons too, Brother," came a voice from the back of the room. "Maybe they've been having trouble with those, too."

Ed strode over to the classroom doors, preparing a transmutation. "That isn't an excuse for them to slack off in another class." He slapped his hands against the door, sealing them shut with a flash of light. Finally, he turned to face his brother. His relished the sight of the 7-foot armored giant, after spending a month or so apart.

The past few days came and went in the blink of an eye. With the rushed meals, the recollection of stories to the other, and the late night tours of Hogwarts, hours felt like minutes to Edward as he and Alphonse caught up. Ed felt simultaneously happy and yet dejected when Al told him about Mustang's frantic, non-stop search for Edward.

Al took the whole magic thing a lot better than Ed expected. The younger Elric absorbed all the information about this new form of energy manipulation like a dry sponge in water, only pausing Ed's explanation to acquire new information, never showing disbelief. If anything, Al was filled with wonder.

That mood ended when Ed brought up the Philosopher's Stone, and the actions Dumbledore took with it. That, after a heated conference that went ultimately nowhere, led to an exchange of information the brothers had about Voldemort, which was not much. That in turn led to Al revealing his encounter with the robed man and the mansion in the forest.

If only Ed had taken that news as well as Al took magic. It took major coaxing over an hour for Al to calm Ed out of his panicked, speculative stupor. Because that was all it was. Speculation.

And now Ed was speculating again. On the reason for even his 'star students' to be suddenly among the common rocks on the ground.

It didn't take long for the reason to reveal itself. During dinner, the Weasley twins approached his section of the High Table, each mirroring the other's actions. A symmetrical force of red-headed annoyance.

"So, Professor," George started, in a sing-song voice.

"Looking forward to Hogsmeade?" Fred finished.

"Nope," Ed just replied in the split second where his mouth was absent of food, not even bothering to find out what this hog-thingy was. "Why?" he asked in the next food-absent moment.

"Well, we noticed you've been anti-social lately-"

"More than usual, of course-"

"And we'd thought that a social gathering would be healthy for a growing boy such as yourself-"

"Now we know it may interfere with your teacherly duties and lessons-"

"But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we?" George finished, and the both of them grinned.

Ed glanced between them, confused, some chicken meat left hanging off his fork. "What the hell are you talking about? And what's Hogsmeade?"

"A wonderful town filled with excitement and adventure," Fred offered, after a sharing a look with his twin. "Just follow the trail of students on Saturday, you can't miss it."

"Now, we shall take our leave," George mock bowed, and Fred followed, before Ed could ask anything more, "before everything…" he hesitated, brows slightly furrowed.

"Comes to a head!" Fred hastily answered, snapping his fingers in enlightenment.

"Right!" George grinned. "Cheerio!" the twins offered, before heading back to the Gryffindor table. Edward watched them with narrowed eyes as they rejoined Harry and the gang, hunched over in whispered conversations.

Ed considered their words, and their actions afterwards, carefully as he jogged back to his quarters.

It did not take Al long to notice that something happened. "Are you okay, Brother?" Ed quickly recounted the short exchange between him and the twins, and their 'scheming' discussion afterwards. "I think they're just looking out for you," Al offered his explanation. "You have been spending a lot of time with me, after all."

Ed absent-mindedly nodded. In their agreement to keep Al out of Umbridge's sight, he understood that he appeared distant and cold. But that can't just be it. "Maybe. But I think there's something else going on, Al. And if I'm the butt of that joke…" he threateningly cracked his knuckles, imagining the painful things he'd put them through.

"Brother…" Al said, feeling a sinister aura emanating from Ed.

"So, ready to take a little vacation, Al?"

* * *

The plan was relatively simple. Wait until most of the students had already left for Hogsmeade before heading down there themselves. And that is what they did.

"This is a bad idea…" Al murmured, shifting in the large brown cloak Ed had fashioned for him.

Ed peeked around the corner, ensuring there were no prying eyes in sight, before motioning for Al to follow. "You can't tell me that you want to be cooped up in a small room all day, do you?"

"No… But if I'm spotted, you'd be in a lot of trouble too, Brother!"

"Please. We've been through a lot worse than some angry stick waving wizards," Ed waved. "Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight again." He peeked out the massive double doors, taking note of the trail of footsteps left on the snow covered ground leading down into town, and the tiny figures roaming around in the distance. "Seems clear. Let's go."

"Brother…" Al mumbled. Edward never failed to amaze Al at the risks the older Elric would take for him. Not wanting to squander his brother's kindness, Al tried to look as small as possible for someone his size, pulled the cloak further down his helmet and followed Edward into Hogsmeade.

The town was lively, with students running in and out of shops, grasping bags filled with goodies close to their chests, delicious candies filling their mouths, and boisterous laughter permeating the streets. In their rush to enjoy their time out of Hogwarts, the students barely gave Ed and his large compatriot any notice.

"They seem to be having fun," Al noted, a jealous tone in his voice.

"Ignorance is bliss," Ed muttered bitterly. A small part of him resented these people and their lack of problems. "Don't worry, Al. I'll get everything back to normal."

"Mmm." Al's hooded head shifted in a nod. He gave the students one last glance before returning to Ed's side. "Where are we going, Brother?"

"Dunno. I don't have a map."

Some time later, the duo found themselves outside a bar, off the main street of Hogsmeade, a sketch of a boar's head hanging just outside the door.

"This is probably it," Ed muttered, brushing snow off his cloak.

"Are you sure?" Al asked.

"Nope." Ed threw open the door to the pub, sending a waft of snow drifting in the door. The occupants, seated almost like they were attending a sermon, all turned to look at the newcomer, alarmed. They were all students from Hogwarts, from all the different houses, with the exception of Slytherin, an old barman behind the counter, and a few nondescript patrons. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood at the front, leading whatever discussion they were having before Ed interrupted. "'Sup."

"What's a teacher doing here?" one student hissed, still on high alert.

"Relax. We invited him," Ron said, trying to calm the mood of the room.

"You're late," Harry quipped.

"Yeah, well, we had some things to take care of," Ed said. He looked towards the door, then jerked his head in the opposite direction, motioning for Al to enter.

There was a collective gasp from the students as a massive, cloaked figure crouched to fit in the doorway, the sound of metal clanging with every step it took.

"What the hell is that?!" another cried out, chair scraping as he stood up. The collective looked to the trio for an explanation.

"Uh… Edward?" Hermione asked, her voice higher pitched than normal. "Y-You didn't tell us you were bringing a… friend..." The heads whirled back to Ed.

"Thought I'd keep it a surprise," he shrugged.

"How do we know you're not a spy for her?" a third one asked.

"He hates Umbridge as much as we do," Ron said matter-of-factly.

"I can do my own talking," Ed blurted. Ron shrugged. All eyes were on the professor once again. "What he said."

"What about him?" a girl pointed to the cloaked figure, stood in silence all this while.

"You think I'd bring someone I don't trust fully here?" Ed crossed his arms. Silence met his question. "Fine. People, this is Al. Al, this is people."

Another chorus of gasps echoed as Al pulled off the cloak that hid his armored body. "Hi," he waved.

"Wicked," the Weasley twins grinned, and a few other nodded in agreement.

Immediately, Ed and Al were assaulted with questions left and right, each voice trying to shout over the others. Ed groaned, rubbing his temples. "Shut up!" he yelled, and the students did so, staring wide eyed. "Isn't there something else more important to discuss?"

There was a silence, before Hermione responded. "O-Oh, right! Where were we… ah, right, about Harry giving us lessons on Defense Against the Dark arts, are we all agreed?"

Ed surveyed each student as a murmur of general agreements washed over them. Some looked displeased at the notion. "So you're unhappy with Umbridge's classes?" he asked abruptly.

"Duh!" a voice called. "There's nothing practical about her lessons; all we're doing is sitting around reading books!"

"It's not just about classes," Hermione piped up, "it's about defending ourselves from V-Voldemort's Death Eaters-"

"More important than even our O.W.L.s, I'd say!" a student interjected. When no one retorted, he continued. "Even if the Ministry are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, to give us a teacher that is actively preventing us from using defensive spells is ridiculous! Especially with the attack on the Ministry itself!"

"Attack on the Ministry?" Harry said, shocked. He was not alone, as heated discussions started in small groups among the crowd. "What are you talking about?"

"The Ministry was attacked recently, and they still haven't caught the Death Eater that did it," Luna explained calmly in spite of the revelation. "Or so they say."

"The Death Eater-"

"You mean it was just one-"

"Is anyone that insane-"

"-taking on the entire Ministry-"

Ed and Al shared a look. Word had spread fast about Al's surprise visit to their headquarters, even though the truth hadn't been revealed. The government must be trying the best to keep this on the down-low. They obviously were not doing so well. "If it's self-defense you want to learn," Ed spoke, clearing his throat, "we'd be able to help."

"What can you do?" a boy asked skeptically. Ed noted that this one had been sitting there, unhappy, disapproving the entire conversation. He resisted the urge to leave a red mark on the boy's face.

"Al, whaddya say we give them a show?" Ed whispered to the armored figure, his back turned.

"Sure!" Al nodded enthusiastically.

Ed grinned. "Got a backyard, old man?" Ed asked the bartender. The latter squinted at him, brows wrinkled, before grunting, pointing to a door in the back. "Thanks." He and Al led the small group outside, and even the bartender stood in the doorway, cleaning a mug with a dirty old rag. They took their spots across each other, feet sinking into the inches of snow that had built up.

"We haven't done this in a while," Al remarked.

"Heh. Still not going to hold back," Ed smirked.

The onlookers watched with bated breath as the two alchemists stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move.

Ed, as always, broke first. He clapped his hands together and planted them into the snow. The white sheet dissolved, icicles forming in front of the golden-haired alchemist and shot themselves at Al.

Al easily blocked the shards, shattering them against his forearm. "Hey, no fair!"

Ed used that moment of surprise to his advantage. He slipped to Al's side, swiping at Al's side with a wicked, curved dagger of solid ice. It left a shallow slice in the metal plate.

A quick twist from Al sent Ed sprawling away from his brother. The damage would have been worse had Ed not blocked with his automail arm, though the blow sent his dagger somewhere unknown. Hearing the telltale signs of transmutation, he rolled to his feet, palm on the snowy ground for balance.

He glanced up, then rolled once more. A massive hammer shaped from ice smashed into the ground where Ed was. The snow exploded around the impact point, forming a large cloud and obscuring his vision. He heard gasps, slightly muffled by the snow cloud. On instinct, Ed leaped up, tucking his legs close to his chest. The ice hammer swiped by below his legs, catching nothing but snow in its path.

Clapping his hands, Ed dashed out of the snow cloud. He leaped over the back-swing of Al's hammer, gripping the shaft as it passed. The ice split perfectly halfway down the makeshift weapon. Ed used the momentum of the hammer and, still gripping tightly, swung it against his brother.

Al shattered the hammer with a swift strike from his iron fist, and ducked a leaping kick from Edward. The latter went for a sweeping kick next, which the former easily dodged. Ed pivoted on his right leg, and swung out with his left. Al caught it, and slammed his opponent into the ground.

Ed turned onto his back and flipped to a standing position. He barely had time to dodge a straight. The attack quickly turned into a right hook, and easily clocked Ed across the face. He spiraled into the ground. "Shit…" he softly cursed. It had been too long since Ed engaged in some real combat. He was losing to Al worse then ever before, though he would never admit that to anyone.

Two large, cushioned hands gripped Ed's arms and slowly hoisted him up. Ed planted both boots into the snow, righting himself with the assistance of Al. "Thanks, Al," Ed said, tapping Al's armor.

"Are you alright, Brother?" Al asked, keeping his voice soft.

"Yeah." Ed spit snow from his mouth. "Just my pride," he said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." Ed brushed snow off his clothes. "Any questions?" he asked his private audience.

Even though their supposed professor lost, all of them held their tongue. After she was sure no one else was going to speak, Hermione became the voice for the group. "S-So we're agreed that Professor Edward would teach us self-defense too?" Everyone remained quiet, though whether they were amazed or otherwise Ed didn't care enough to guess.

"If there's nothing left out here, then let's get back inside. I hate the cold," Ed announced, moving towards the bar. He rubbed the flesh of his shoulder where the automail connected, trying to ease the dull pain now that the adrenaline was wearing off. The students all gave him a short look before following him and Al inside, though the Golden Trio's gaze lasted slightly longer, understanding in their eyes.

Ed and Al took a seat away from the student group, once they heard things about timing, Quidditch and other matters of the like. Ed hated administrative stuff. He went through the spar in his mind, berating himself for the simple mistakes that he made.

" _What's on your mind, Brother?_ " Al asked in their native language.

" _Hmm?_ " Ed was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not realize he was ignoring Al. Another thing he cursed himself for. " _Just thinking about our fight_."

" _Yeah, I noticed it too_ …" Al said.

" _Huh_?" Ed's head snapped up. " _W-What are you talking about_?"

" _I've been noticing it for a while_ ," Al mused. " _Don't you feel it, Brother? Like our alchemy is more powerful than usual_?"

" _Oh_ …" Ed breathed, relieved. He let a sound of contemplation loose. Now that he thought about it, his transmutations had been slightly more powerful than he had intended, though he mostly only attempted minor transmutations. During the fight, however, he noticed that the dagger he had forged did not shatter upon contact with Al, like he expected, and the ice shaft had not shattered when he separated it. " _Yeah, you're right, Al_ …"

" _Why do you think that is_?" Al straightened in his seat. " _Maybe it's the magic? Like its lingering effects are strengthening our alchemy_?" The excitement was clear in his voice.

" _Please, Al_ ," Ed said dismissively. " _Even if their magic, or whatever it is, lingered, our alchemy uses the energy from tectonic plates, remember_?"

Al kept his excited energy. " _Then maybe its this world! The plates may be generating more energy than ours_ ," he offered.

Now Ed sat up. " _It could be. It could be a million other factors too. We're in a completely different world, after all. Or_ -"

"- _it could be our world_ ," Al completed his thought.

Ed nodded, his previous frustrations all forgotten. Finally, the brothers together, excited at new knowledge once again. They started listing out the similarities and differences they knew about this world and theirs, trying to look for a connection that could explain this new revelation.

However, it wasn't long before they had to stop. Hermione had called his name twice before, and it was only on the third that Ed jerked his head up with an annoyed look.

"What?" he snapped.

Hermione flinched, but regained as much of her nervous composure as she could. "Um, professor? W-Would you mind signing this list? Just an agreement that we wont tell anyone." At his continued stare, she continued. "We've all already signed it…"

Ed glanced back at Al. A small nod came from the armor. The alchemist brothers stood up simultaneously, approaching the list on the table. Names were scrawled on it in different styles of handwriting, some stylized, others not. Ed picked up the quill, considered a moment, then scribbled: 'Fullmetal'.

Alphonse gingerly picked up the writing instrument, adjusting his grip more than once. He quickly settled on one, the knowledge that all eyes were on him, and peered at the parchment. He unsteadily wrote, just below where his brother did, the moniker his brother usually addressed him by: 'Al'.

"Took me a while, too," Ed grinned, whispering to Al as the armored being walked by.

"Think about those poor animals," Al said, shuddering.

And with that, people started filing out of the bar in small groups, until all that remained from the meeting were the alchemists, Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

Ed and Al started to move out once he determined that the three weren't moving off just yet, but was stopped by Hermione.

"Professor? Could we talk to you for a second? The both of you?" she added, glancing Al's way. She sounded better, more relaxed, more confident now that she was not talking to a large group.

Ed would usually sigh or give some other sign of displeasure at this moment. Instead, with one thoughtful look towards Al, he nodded. This would be Al's first time interacting with people around his age in this world. "Sure."

They occupied a table at a small corner of the establishment. The three wizards got another round of something called 'butterbeer'. It did not sound very appetizing to Ed, for multiple reasons, so he declined their offer to get him one. Al was, well, Al, so he declined too.

"So what did you wanna talk about?" Ed asked, slinging an arm behind his chair.

They took a swig of their freshly arrived beverages. "Well, it's about…" Ron started, glancing at Al. "Him."

Hermione gave Ron a sharp nudge just as Ed was about to open his mouth. "Ron!" she chided, "he's got a name, you know."

"It's about Al," Harry quickly cut in before Ron could retort. "Is he," the boy paused, looked around, then leaned in, "your brother?"

Al gasped softly. " _You told them_?" he asked in Amestrian, his voice a mixture of shock and panic.

" _Before you got here, yeah. They're good, Al_ ," Ed reassured, " _Also, us speaking Amestrian is giving it away_."

" _Oh_." The two of them returned their gazes to the trio, who were giving them, and each other, grins that held different meanings.

"I knew it!" Ron congratulated himself.

"It wasn't that hard, Ron. An 'old friend' of Edward's who uses alchemy and has a name that could be a shortened version of 'Alphonse'?" Hermione explained.

"Oh," Al murmured once again.

"Are you actually fourteen?" Ron asked.

"Mmhmm."

"With the way you grow, you could be part Weasley," Harry joked. This earned him a sharp look from Ron, but he said nothing otherwise. "You sure you're his brother, Ed? Maybe you need to drink some milk."

"WHO'S SO TINY HE COULD WALK WITH THEIR HEAD UP HIGH AND PASS THROUGH THE UNDERSIDE OF A DOOR THAT THEY HAVE TO DRINK MILK TO GET TALLER?!"

Al had gotten out of his seat, pinning both of Ed's arms to the chair's backrest, leaving the alchemist kicking wildly in his chair. " _Brother_ ," Al warned, glancing around at the staring eyes in the room, " _people are watching_."

Once Ed had settled down, Al loosened his grip. Ed snatched his arms away, straightening his coat. "He started it," the elder brother grumbled, to the stifled laughter of the three students.

"There's the old Ed," Ron commented, still chuckling, taking another swig of drink.

"'Old Ed?'" Al wondered aloud.

"Ed's been in kind of a slump," Hermione commented. "I think this is the only time I- we've seen him actually happy."

"Really?" Al looked at his brother.

Maybe a beer wouldn't be so bad… "Whatever," he said. Ed slumped in his chair, scowling. That earned a round of chuckles from the wizards and witch, and a pat on the head from Al. Ed turned his glare, previously directed at the table, to Al.

" _Sorry, Brother. Couldn't resist_."

"So, Al, you got here same way as Edward did?" Hermione asked.

"Strange. Mom never mentioned anything about someone else making a mess at Headquarters," Ron whispered the last part.

Ed and Al shared a long look.

As if reading actions and expressions, Hermione spoke. "Don't worry, the parchment we signed has a jinx on it that will go off if anyone who signed their name tells anyone else about this."

"Jinx?" Ron asked, both surprised and alarmed. "What'll happen?"

"Well, let's just say it'll make Eloise Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles," Hermione explained. The two boys frown at their private mental image, one that Ed and Al did not share.

"Well," Ed continued, after a small break, "Al did drop in at Headquarters, just not the one you're thinking of." They all gave him a confused look. "Tell them, Al."

"Huh?" Al looked between his brother and the waiting audience, unprepared for the sudden thrust into the storyteller position. "But you're much better at it…" Al protested weakly.

"It's your story," Ed leaned back, grinning at how uncomfortable this was making Al. " _Payback_."

Al gave as nasty of a look as he could with his unmoving, steely face, before turning back to the group. "Well, I arrived at the Ministry of Magic-"

"The Ministry?!" Harry, Ron and Hermione all gasped, much too loud given the sensitive context of their conversation. They immediately glanced around, giving various apologies to the startled onlookers of the bar, before quickly turning back to their armored storyteller.

"You mean you're the Death Eater the Ministry's looking for?" Harry asked, disbelief still on his face. The other two had their mouths agape, viewing Al in a new light.

"No!" Al denied. "Well, not really. I'm not a Death Eater. I think."

"But you did attack the Ministry?" Ron asked.

"No," Al denied again, though weakly this time. "I mean, they attacked me first. I was just trying to look for a way out."

"But you escaped after causing that much mayhem?" Hermione asked this time.

"Yeah," Al confirmed. "With a little help from Miss Tonks and Mister Moody," he added.

"I could do all that and more," Ed bragged, and was promptly ignored.

"So what actually happened?" Harry asked, frustrated with all the non-answers and half-truths. "All we know is from the Ministry's perspective, and we know how trustworthy that is." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Well, it all happened when Ed went missing from our world…" Al started, thinking it would be best for them to know his story from the start.

Even though Al had told this story to him before, Ed enjoyed Al's tale as much this time as he did the first, if not even more. Al left out some details, mostly about the alchemy behind his escape attempt, but Ed was quick to remedy that, throwing in the minute details, if only to watch Al squirm in the way a large suit of armor can.

Harry, Ron and Hermione listened with every ounce of attention they never paid in class, their gazes affixed on whoever was talking at the time. Amazement graced their faces when Ed told them the feats Al performed to escape the clutches of the Ministry.

He and Al left out the details the trio absolutely did not need to know, like their past, and the truth behind Al in the armor. When Al's tale finished, the trio were left in shock and awe.

"No way…" Harry breathed.

"Alchemy is…" Hermione continued.

"Bloody awesome!" Ron finished.

"Are you going to be teaching us as well?" Hermione asked.

"Oh! I never thought of that," Al exclaimed. "Could I, brother?" he asked, looking excitedly at Edward.

"I dunno…" Ed muttered. "It's going to be trouble when a new teacher shows up unannounced. Plus Umbridge's gonna know what's up right away."

"Aww…" Al said, downcast. The rest had a similar expression.

"But," Ed added, "maybe we can work something out…"

"Really?" Al perked up.

"But it won't be for a while. Not at your slow pace of learning."

"Right!" Hermione nodded, her face full of determination. No doubt she'll try three times as hard now, at least.

Harry looked out the window. "Well then," he said, finishing his drink, "it's probably time to get going."

"Right," Ron said, following suit with his drink, "see you around, Ed, Al."

"Yup! See you in class!" Hermione waved. Ed and Al returned all their goodbyes. The three of them exited the Hog's Head.

"They seem like nice people," Al said.

"Yeah. Thought that myself," Ed admitted. "But not everyone's like that."

"I saw that," Al said, remembering the few unhappy faces among the crowd of students.

"It's okay, you won't be coming in contact with those kinds of people anyway. Not much, at least," Ed reassured. He stood, making for the door. "Come on, we'd better get back too."

"Right."

"Better put this back on," Ed told Al, throwing him the large brown cloak. "Wouldn't want the toad to see you."

"Toad? They have a magic toad keeping watch?" Al asked.

Ed laughed. "If only. Tell you on the way."

* * *

 **Afterword** : See you next time!


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